


Parallel Routes - One Woman Army

by TheBobcatHews



Series: Parallel Routes [1]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, LGBTQIA+ Relationships and Characters, M/M, Trini is the Green Ranger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2018-10-01 11:13:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 54,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10188695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBobcatHews/pseuds/TheBobcatHews
Summary: 10,000 years ago, Zordon lost not only his body to Rita, but also the weapons one day he would need for fighting her if she ever came back. Except for one: the Green Power Coin.When she came back, he chose one girl to fight her armies of Monsters. That girl was Trini Kwan.Now, as the Green Power Ranger, she fights Rita and stops her from gathering power and thwarts her plans, unaware that the villain is waiting for the right moment to unleash her deadliest weapons against the solo heroine.





	1. The Life and Times of a Heroine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first story of my Parallel Routes collection. I decided to write this one because not only Trini is one of my favorite characters, but I believe she is quite underrated. So, why not give her the spotlight? I’m publishing this story on the International Woman’s Day as a way to celebrate it. I plan to publish the rest of this story during the month of March, since it is Women’s History Month in Australia, in the UK, and in the USA. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it since the entire story is already outlined. The only thing left to do is to write the chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story.
> 
> To finish, I want to say for all women congratulations for your day and know that you deserve more than just one day every year to celebrate yourselves. You are all amazing.

Angel Grove’s Youth Center was crowded as usual. Various teens and kids busied themselves with different activities around the place, as it was common during a weekday afternoon. Among them, Trini Kwan, an eighteen-year-old Vietnamese girl performed a series of katas in a more isolated space. After finishing her routine, she grabbed a small green towel and dried her face. Her eyes wondered through the crowd and stopped at the gymnastics’ area.

Kimberly Hart, a classmate of Trini, was on the beam performing amazing moves as a small group of girls watched. The petite girl was famous for her incredible abilities as a gymnast, with some even saying that she would definitely compete in the Olympics one day. Trini had to agree with that. Kimberly **was** amazing.

The girl in green smiled to herself and walked over to the Juice Bar. There were people sitting at the tables, but no one was at the counter, so Trini sat across Ernie, who was busy watching the latest news on TV.

“Reports are still coming in about the mysterious amusement park where kids were disappearing from. After official word from the city’s administration board, the location continues off-limits as the police force finishes taking down the tents. Eyewitnesses from last week’s incident confirmed that the creatures known as Putties somehow disguised themselves as workers of the park and that the Green Power Ranger fought and defeated a Monster described by many as ‘pineapple-like’, causing every person in the site to flee.” The report informed. Pictures of the so-called amusement park flashed on the screen.

“I can’t believe these creeps are trying to kidnap children now!” Ernie said.

“I guess we have to thank the Green Power Ranger for stopping them.” Trini commented.

“Yeah,” Ernie nodded. “She’s a great heroine. Thank heavens she’s around to fight these alien freaks.”

“You believe the Green Power Ranger is a she too?” Trini asked surprised. There were a lot of people that didn’t agree with that.

“Sure, why not?” Ernie smiled. “Who says a woman can’t fight against evil space invaders?”

Trini smiled, internally happy with Ernie’s comment. Ever since the Green Power Ranger appeared more than a month ago, people had debated whether the mysterious superhero was male or female. Many people thought that the Green Power Ranger was male simply because that was the default of heroes, apparently. But others clearly believed it was a heroine fighting, either because some could guess from the more female figurine the Ranger had whenever someone could get a closer look or the ‘lucky ones’ who got to hear the Ranger speaking and they said the voice definitely sounded more like a woman’s than a man’s, even if they really couldn’t tell them apart perfectly. Well, Trini couldn’t really complain since the Cloaking was there to help hide the identity of the Green Power Ranger, to hide her identity.

Trini still had trouble believing she was a superheroine in the first place. When that group of astronauts found a strange container on the moon and they accidentally released Rita Repulsa and her goons, the life of the entire world turned upside down, but especially for the citizens of Angel Grove and hers, of course. The same day she declared war on the world, but especially in the city of Angel Grove, California was when Trini was chosen.

She remembered the feeling of her first teleportation, arriving at the Command Center for the first time, her first meeting with Alpha and Zordon, and the explanation of what was going on and how she was the one who would wield the Green Power Coin and became a Power Ranger. She was now a member of an elite team of intergalactic fighters, but in her case, she was going solo as Zordon had only one Power Coin. While she at first was somewhat skeptical of the whole thing as well as fighting by herself, Zordon persuaded to see the big picture and explained that the Green Power Coin carried more Power than other Power Coins.

Therefore, ever since she accepted the offer with the golden Power Morpher and the Green Power Coin, she bonded herself to the Power when she first morphed and now, she lived her life fighting Monsters and Putties sent from Rita to perform all sorts of plans. From waste dumps to world hunger, from escaping from an alternative pocket dimension to fighting Monsters that kidnapped children, like the one in the fake amusement park. She was glad that she decided not to take her cousin Sylvia there.

She thought she was doing quite a good job for a rookie thrown in the middle of what seemed to be part of an intergalactic war that was thousands of years old. The Green Power Coin gave her abilities and attacks that had helped her deal with the Monsters even though her only weapon was just her Dragon Dagger. Still, she had saved the world until now.

“Taking about the Green Power Ranger?” A voice asked to the two. Trini turned to see Zack Taylor sit by her side, giving her a smile. “Man, that chick is badass!”

“See?” Ernie pointed out. “Zack also thinks the Green Power Ranger is a girl.”

“Of course she is!” Zack laughed like saying the opposite was nonsense. “All those people who were saved by her said it was definitely a she under the helmet and costume. They said the voice was hard to tell, but some swear it was feminine.”

“Costume?” Trini asked, holding her reaction to having her Ranger Armor Suit called a costume. It wasn’t like it was an outfit she got at a magic shop.

“Yeah, what she dresses,” Zack explained. “What would you call it?”

“I don’t know,” Trini said dismissively. “Maybe an armor?”

“Armor?” Zack scrunched his face. “It looks like spandex to me. Maybe you could say that shield thing she wears is kind of an armor.”

Trini just shook her head and let the subject go. She couldn’t talk about it anyway. One of the rules of being a Power Ranger: Never tell your secret identity. The Power gave a Ranger protection, like the Cloaking that made it impossible for people to figure out her identity. By breaking a rule, she would lose the protection of the Power, and that wasn’t something she really wanted.

“So,” Trini began another topic of conversation. “How is it going with the Hip-Hop-Kido classes?”

Zack smiled proudly. “Quite well actually! More kids have been interested in taking it.”

“Congratulations, Zack!” Trini patted him on the shoulder.

“You know, you should totally start a Kung-Fu class, Trini,” Zack brought it up. Again. “People would love to have classes with you. You are a great teacher.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m just busy, you know,” She gave an excuse. “Plus Jason’s Karate classes are the hot thing now.”

A silly smile formed on Zack’s face. “Well, you do have to admit he’s pretty. Great. He’s pretty great.”

Trini hid her smile discretely and whispered to her friend. “You couldn’t be more obvious, you know?”

“Whatever,” Zack scoffed, even though he clearly had a blush on his face. “Anyways, I came up here to see if you wanted to head out together. I have a class at the park near the lake. You are going to Billy’s, right?”

“Yes,” Trini nodded, gathering her things. “I’m helping him with some inventions and he’s helping me with some subjects.”

“This is what I don’t get,” Zack commented after the two said bye to Ernie and left the Youth Center. “You are just as smart as Billy and you are having trouble at school? What gives?”

“I’m not having trouble at school,” Trini said defensively. “Like I said, I have a lot of things, so my focus isn’t the best right now.”

“If you are not busy with school, what are you busy with?” Zack asked, but he wasn’t meaning to pry. He was just curious.

“Oh, you know,” Trini laughed trying to deviate the conversation from her ‘extra-curricular activities’. “Environmental issues, the rallies and campaigns, and all that. Remember that waste dump I was gathering signatures to close down?”

Zack nodded and seemed to accept it as an explanation that made Trini glad. The two were already nearing the park. Trini used to love the park, but now, it was more of a battlefield where she fought a lot of Rita’s Monsters and Putties than just a place she liked to spend her weekends with her family when she was little.

“Can you believe it’s already our last year?” Zack asked. “Ready to take the next step into becoming a responsible adult?”

Trini considered this silently for a moment. She had plans for what she would do after graduation, like travel the world, help and fight for causes in different places of the planet, but now, she was fighting to save the world in a different manner, so all her plans were on hold.

“Are you channeling your parents?” Trini asked playfully, trying to avoid the subject smoothly.

Zack laughed. “I suppose. You know how they are always on my back, telling me what school to go to. ‘Be a lawyer, Zackary’, ‘Be a doctor, Zackary’, ‘Be a politician, Zackary’. Always the same over and over again.”

“But that’s not what you want.” Trini knew. The Taylors were rich, powerful and influential, and of course, they wanted their children to follow their steps. Zack’s older siblings were already doing that, and his younger one was already being prepared, so Zack was stuck in the middle.

“Not really,” Zack shrugged and turned to face her. “You know my love lies somewhere else than just what my parents expect and think it’s the only way to succeed.”

“I know,” Trini smiled supportively. “Dancing and music, which is why I say you should definitely go to Julliard.”

“Probably get disowned.” Zack commented absently.

“And we can’t forget where your other love lies." Trini whispered and winked at him. They were alone at that part of the park, so it was okay.

Zack said nothing, but he was clearly blushing and laughing his nervous laugh. “Trini!”

“Oh, don’t be like that. It’s just the two of us!” Trini said. “I mean, I totally get it why people get mesmerized by a certain Karate fighter. At least he only has eyes for you.”

Zack stopped laughing. He was still blushing and had a small smile on his face. “Jason is just so unique, you know? I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we are…”

Trini nodded. Talking about it in public scared him. It scared Jason too, and it scared her too. One of the reasons they had become friends was because of this, because of their sexuality. If society wanted to ostracize them, at least they had each other. And they also had Billy, who wasn’t gay, but was asexual, as he had explained to them. A concept quite new for the other three, but the four were like a family, always there to support each other, afraid of what others would say or do to them. Being ‘different’, a word that she hated to describe them wasn’t easy in the early 90s.

“And what about you, Ms. Kwan?” Zack decided to turn the tables. “No devious plans to invite a certain brown-haired gymnast-slash-cheerleader out?”

Trini couldn’t help her face burning. She was as discreet as she could probably be, but of course, her friends knew how head over heels she was with Kimberly Hart. She had been since freshman year when the girl came to Angel Grove.

“Like that would go well,” Trini shook her head. “She’s into guys, Zack.”

“How do you know that?” Zack asked honestly. “It’s not like any of us knew about each other before we actually became friends. Besides, rumor has it she never had a boyfriend ever since she came to Angel Grove. Ever!”

“So?” Trini asked. “That’s not good enough reason. Maybe she’s just… different.”

Zack raised an eyebrow at the word that made Trini wince a little. However, Zack did a have point. They didn’t know their sexual orientations before getting to know each other better and they, like almost everybody, just simply ignored the possibility and assumed what was considered the ‘regular’. A lot like people simply assumed the Green Power Ranger was a man instead of a woman because it was someone fighting evil.

“Well, this where I leave you,” Zack pointed to an opposite direction with his thumb. “My class starts in 20 minutes, so I need to get prepared.”

“Right,” Trini nodded. “I’m taking a shortcut to get to Billy’s, and please be careful, okay? If any Putties or Monsters appear around here, don’t try to be a hero. Just get your students to a safe place, okay?”

Zack sighed and rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion. “Okay.”

“Promise?” Trini asked more intensely.

“Promise.” Zack nodded and smiled.

The two hugged, a gesture they shared among themselves to always remind each other, even without words that they were there for each other. Even Billy, who felt somewhat awkward with touching, would hug them. They waved each other goodbye and followed their separate paths. Trini was about to reach the outskirts of the park when she heard a familiar six tone chime coming from her wrist. She looked around, checking to see if anyone was near and hid behind a tree. She raised her green-colored Wrist Communicator to her mouth.

“This is Trini.” She answered with a serious voice.

“Trini.” The booming voice was from Zordon. “We need you at the Command Center. Are you ready to teleport?”

Trini briefly glanced around, seeing no one. “Coast is clear. I’m on my way.”

The girl pressed a button on her Wrist Communicator, soon her body felt a current of electricity going through it, and her vision filled with a green light. The sensation of teleporting still surprised her to this day.

Almost a blink of an eye later, Trini arrived at the Command Center, the base of operations where Zordon and Alpha 05 helped deal with Rita. Every time she was here, she imagined how Billy would love it, and how he would probably spend hours with Alpha 05.

“Hey, Alpha.” Trini waved at the robot working on the panels of the circular area of the Center as she walked to stand face to face with Zordon. “So, I assume Rita is at it again.”

“You are correct, Trini,” Zordon answered. “Observe the Viewing Globe.”

Trini approached it to see what it was Rita’s new Monster that she had to deal with. The Globe showed a beach, with darkened and stormy clouds, lightning cut through the skies. The waves hit the shore with ferocity. Finally, it showed Rita alongside her gang. She had a type of altar that Trini never saw before and she was chanting alien words as the lightning continued to strike.

“What is she doing, exactly?” Trini asked curiously. She never saw Rita doing anything like that.

“She’s summoning a Monster.” Zordon said seriously.

“Summoning?” Trini turned to him confused. “But I thought Rita only created Monsters out of that special clay she creates the Putties from.”

“Usually, yes,” Zordon explained. “Those Monsters require little magick to come to life, and with the more powerful abilities the Green Power Coin gives you, you’ve been able to take on all of them now.”

“But this is different?” Trini pointed her thumb back at the Viewing Globe. “Since it’s not a created Monster… does that mean it’s a living Monster?”

“Yes.” Zordon said simply.

“Are you asking me to kill a living being?” Trini asked seriously.

“A living being that wants to destroy your world, Trini!” Alpha 05 piped in. “Whether they are created or summoned or anything else, they are killers.”

“But,” Trini shook her head. “What gives me the right?”

“You are a Power Ranger.” Zordon announced. “A Power Ranger’s mission is to protect this world, not matter what is the cost.”

Trini remained silent.

“You won’t become a killer, Trini,” Zordon reassured her. “I am not asking you to kill another human being.”

Trini considered this for a moment before giving them a short nod. She turned back to the Viewing Globe. “Do you have any idea what is she summoning?”

“Rita hasn’t freed herself for so long, so her magick isn’t complete, but if she’s able to do a ritual like this, she’ll probably summon a powerful Monster.”

“A powerful one, huh?” Trini laughed sarcastically. “Think I can take it?”

“Of course you can!” Alpha 5 said cheerily.

“I have no doubts in your qualities as a Ranger, Trini.” Zordon concluded.

Trini smiled at the two. “So… can we stop the ritual somehow?”

“No, unfortunately.” Zordon said solemnly. “She hid herself from our radars and only now we were able to locate her since the forces she is using are beginning to tear the walls of reality apart.”

“Meaning,” Trini came to a realization. “She is about to finish the summoning.”

“Precisely.” Zordon said.

“So, what do we do now?” Trini asked.

“We wait to see what she is bringing to your realm.” Zordon answered.

\--

At the beach, Rita performed the spell. She could feel her insides screaming as her magick might not be strong enough for this spell, but she had waited long enough. All of her other Monsters were so simply defeated by the Green Ranger and she couldn’t keep on losing like that. She had ideas for the future, but she needed more dark power to accomplish her goals, and there is where the ritual came in.

Her companions, Goldar, Babboo, Squatt and Finster watched from a distance, not daring to contradict their majesty. Last time she had tried to summon a Monster was thousands of years ago. They only hoped she was going to pull it off.

After a few final words from her enchantment, a mist rose from the ground and covered almost entirely the vision of the group. A feminine shrill laughter echoed from above. They looked up to see a female Monster dressed in a long white dress descended from the skies. She had blue and long hair. Her face reminded some of them of a white mask with a blue jewel in the middle of her forehead. She had a small crown on top of her blue hair and her nails were big and sharp. She looked at the collection of creatures gathered and stared at Rita the longest.

“You are the one who summoned me here.” The female Monster stated.

“Yes, I am,” Rita took a step forward. “My name is Rita Repulsa. I am an intergalactic sorceress who extended an invitation to you, Madam Woe.”

“Rita Repulsa,” Madam Woe said as if she recognized her name from somewhere. “You have quite strong magick to summon me to this… realm. Where are we?”

“The main plane realm of the planet Earth.” Finster explained in a lowered voice, afraid to say something that would not be polite.

“Earth,” Madam Woe, once again, seemed to know about this planet. “And why is that you require my assistance, Rita Repulsa?”

“I have been fighting a Power Ranger for a few months now,” Rita explained. “My creations have proved to be weak against her, and I know you have more power thanks to your Blue Gem.”

Madam Woe briefly touched the gem in question on her forehead with the tips of her nails. “Yes, I have great powers thanks to it, but why should I be interested in fighting this Power Ranger?”

“Once you defeat her, I will have no one to stand in my way,” Rita smiled wickedly. “And after that, the Green Power Coin is all yours. It’s a relic, a Power Source in fact.”

“A Power Source?” Madam Woe seemed quite interested. “And you wouldn’t want it?”

“I don’t need it.” Rita said confidently. “And this particular Power Coin holds more power than a regular Power Coin. It’s been blessed by outer powers as well.”

“Most intriguing,” Madam Woe said as she watched the sea. “I believe you want me to fight the Green Power Ranger with all of my abilities.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, she is strong,” Rita sighed. “But I truly believe your gifts are more than a match to hers.”

Madam Woe nodded and considered that. Having a Power Source wasn’t something so easy to come by and Power Coins were rare, besides, one that had more to it? She simply could not let this opportunity pass. Moreover, she was already here.

“I accept the offer to work with you, Rita Repulsa.” Madam Woe gave her a small nod.

Rita nodded in response. Unlike her own created Monsters, Madam Woe was a Monster from out of this world, which meant she deserved respect if Rita knew how to play her cards right.

\--

Back at the Command Center, the three watched the exchange. Trini was intrigued with the so-called Madam Woe since Rita was being nice with her. Alpha 05 simply watched while Zordon regarded the new arrival with a pensive look.

“Madam Woe,” Trini repeated and turned to Zordon and Alpha. “Do you know her?”

“I’m afraid not,” Zordon said. “I never crossed paths with her before, but I am almost certain I have heard of her. Alpha.”

“On it!” The robot was already going to the panels to research about her.

“What should I do?” Trini asked. “Should I go there?”

“Might not be the best idea, Trini,” Zordon warned. “We are blind as to what she is capable of and why Rita summoned her in particular.”

“But what if there isn’t any information on her?” Trini offered. “Look Zordon, I don’t want to go there with no information either, but seeing her in action might help. If things get too tough, you can teleport me back, right?”

Zordon considered this for a moment, glimpsing at Alpha, who was still going through their extensive database. As big as it was, there was the possibility they didn’t have any information on her.

“I will have to agree with you, Trini,” Zordon said, clearly not happy. “Be extremely careful and do not take her for granted. Remember: she is not a simple Monster. We will be watching what unfolds. May the Power protect you.”

Trini nodded smiling, glad that Zordon had faith in her to do the right thing.

“ **It’s Morphin’ Time!** ” She reached behind her waist, summoning her Power Morpher and thrusted it in front of her, releasing the Power of her Coin. “ **Dragonzord!** ”

The light of Green filled her entire being as her Ranger Armor Suit covered her and connected herself with the Power. Soon after, she teleported straight to the beach where the villains were.

\--

The group gathered at the beach looked up as they saw the streak of green light descend and land a few feet of them. The Green Power Ranger materialized and immediately took a fighting stance.

“Running out of ideas Rita?” The Green Power Ranger asked with a slightly mocking tone. “So much that you needed to outsource?”

Rita snarled at her, but before she could do anything, Madam Woe stepped in front of the group, sizing up the Green Power Ranger.

“So, you are my challenger?” Madam Woe asked seemingly not that impressed.

“And you are Madam Woe,” The Green Power Ranger said trying to not sound intimidated. “I suppose you are not here to bring happiness or joy, huh?”

“You kid in the face of danger.” Madam Woe observed. “A way to cope with your impending death, no doubt.”

The Green Power Ranger moved a bit to take a more defensive stance. She didn’t like the confidence of this Monster. She was definitely different from the other ones, but that wouldn’t stop her from fighting her with all her might.

“Let’s cut the small talk and fight,” The Green Power Ranger said. “What do you say?”

“Then I will show you what I am capable of!” Madam Woe rose from the ground and started flying quite fast in the Green Power Ranger’s direction.

Not losing any precious time, the Green Power Ranger drew her Dragon Dagger from her holster and slashed at the incoming attack, hitting the blade on her armored chest. The Monster flew around her and dove for another attack, which the Ranger avoided by crouching and rolling out of the way. Madam Woe turned just in time to receive a high kick right in the middle of her face, sending her to the floor.

“Quite impressive for just one Power Ranger.” Madam Woe said, immediately floating back to her feet.

“You haven’t seen what **I** am capable of.” The Green Power Ranger put her Dragon Dagger back and moved her arms around with green energy dancing through her body as it emanated from her glowing Power Coin in her Morpher.

“Empress!” Goldar yelled, knowing very well what the Ranger was about to do.

Rita simply raised a hand, stopping him from interrupting the fight. “There is a reason I brought her here, Goldar. Simply watch.”

The green energy gathered in her hands, forming a glowing green ball. Her Ranger Armor Suit seemed to shine along the ball. The Green Power Ranger brought the ball to her chest, focusing on Madam Woe before thrusting both of her arms to release the ball.

“ **Ngọc Rồng!** ” She yelled in her native Vietnamese language as the green energy ball hurled towards the Monster.

This attack was the one she used to destroy most of the other Monsters Rita had sent to fight her ever since she became a Ranger. It had become her trademark attack, but she felt her body becoming numb when Madam Woe simply held the ball in her hands, like a toy.

“Condensed Green Power as an offensive attack,” She commented as she analyzed the sizzling orb in her hands. “Quite impressive, but I believe this can’t be your most powerful tactic, is it?”

Like a simple basketball, she threw it aside, making it explode a few feet away from her, not harming her at all. From behind her helmet, Trini’s eyes bulged. No Monster had ever done that.

Rita laughed. “Seems like you met your match, Green Ranger!”

Before she could retort Rita, the Green Power Ranger had to move quickly as Madam Woe was already charging towards her again through the air. She dove out of the way, avoiding the sharp fingernails. She took out her Dragon Dagger again, but the Monster used her extended hair braids to strangle her. She tried cutting them with the Dagger, but they were stronger.

“What a pathetic weapon.” Madam Woe said as she flung the Green Power Ranger from where she was, making her fly above her and hit the ground behind her, still held by the braids.

The Green Power Ranger tried to release herself from the braids, but they were unmovable, and even the Dragon Dagger couldn’t cut them off. She saw Madam Woe touching them and soon, a current of blue electricity ran through them, electrocuting the Ranger, making her Armor Suit explode in various spots. She fell down to ground for a few seconds before she was flung around again, hitting the floor again.

“My reward will be so easy to acquire!” Madam Woe laughed. She raised her hand to her mouth and once she moved it away, she blew a thick wind that made the Green Power Ranger’s Armor Suit explode again, forcing her to her knees.

 _What am I going to do?_ The Green Ranger though as she forced herself to stay in place and not let the Monster flung her again. The Dragon Dagger and her attack didn’t work. She had other few options, but…

Her train of thought got cut short as another current of electricity hit her. She fell to the floor and soon she was on the air again. This time, as she passed close to Madam Woe, the Monster used her nails to cut through her Armor Suit, producing sparks from it. She fell, smoke rising from her Suit, but she noticed only the cloth part was damaged, but the Dragon Shield remained intact. This gave her an idea.

She got up and pulled the braids down with all her might, actually making Madam Woe lose her balance a little. She guided her Dragon Dagger to her mouth plate and played a few strategic notes. The melody reacted with her Shield, making it glow.

“ **Rồng Giáp!** ” The Vietnamese command made the Dragon Shield glow brighter with green light. An aura appeared around the Green Power Ranger and, as she had hoped, made the braids from Madam Woe retreat.

“How did you do that?” Madam Woe asked furiously looking at the smoking braids.

The Green Power Ranger wanted to say something, but she was out of breath. Using the Dragon Dagger to activate the power of the Dragon Shield didn’t drain her, but her neck hurt from the braids. Now that she was free, she needed to think fast on a plan of action.

“Show her your true power, Madam Woe!” Rita screeched.

Madam Woe retreated her braids and raised both of her arms, crossing them in front of her chest and spreading her fingers. The blue gem on her forehead began to glow. Soon, the entire ground started to shake. The Green Power Ranger’s vision started to become blurry, but she realized that the scenery itself was shaking in impossible ways and directions. The floor underneath her feet felt like it was made of jelly. She felt her body shook beyond what it could hold, almost as if something was trying to rip her out of reality.

“Trini!” Alpha’s voice came from inside her helmet. “You have to leave immediately. She is beginning to shift the reality!”

“She is trying to teleport me?” The Green Power Ranger tried confirming.

“Yes!” Alpha said. “We are trying to teleport you out, but her power is interfering too much with our own.”

“So I need to destroy the gem,” The Green Power Ranger concluded. “But how do I do that? My Ngọc Rồng didn’t affect her. Should I use…”

“Trini.” Zordon spoke within her helmet. “We still don’t know the magnitude of the power of her gem. Using the attack you have in mind might not work and it will leave more vulnerable.”

The Green Power Ranger had thought so. “What do I do then, Zordon?”

“Use your Dragon Dagger.” Zordon commanded.

“My Dragon Dagger?” The Green Power Ranger asked. “But I thought you said-”

“Not for that attack. Focus on the song you can produce with the Dagger. Create a melody that will be able to interfere with her concentration.” Zordon instructed.

“A new attack.” The Green Power Ranger considered that. She felt her stomach getting nauseous and her head split in half. She had no time to lose.

She held her Dragon Dagger firmly in her hand, closing her eyes, focusing away from the spell Madam Woe was performing and gathering all her thoughts into her weapon. She saw the symbol of the Green Power Coin in her mind’s eyes, and with more effort, she heard a song she never heard before, but she knew she could play it.

Opening her eyes, she took her Dragon Dagger into her mouth and began playing different notes, producing a new song. The song soon began to echo louder and louder, enough to make not only Madam Woe, but also Rita and her lackeys cover their ears, but the gem was still glowing, meaning it wasn’t enough. The Green Power Ranger focused harder, and the song became longer and louder, reaching the point she wanted.

“ **BàiHát Rồng!** ” The Green Power Ranger yelled before playing the very last notes that emitted green sound waves from the Dagger’s Green Power Coin symbol, making Madam Woe lose her focus and the world before her eyes stop shaking.

“Zordon, I did it!” The Green Power Ranger cheered, trying to maintain herself standing. “Now it would be perfect to get me out of here!”

Without a response, the green teleportation light surrounded her and she left the beach, leaving a very pissed off group of villains behind.

“I didn’t know she could do that!” Squatt yelled, his ears still buzzing from the loud song.

“Shut up!” Rita yelled, putting a hand on her head. “I already have a headache. I don’t need any of you to make it worse.”

Madam Woe said nothing. She simply stared at the place where the Green Ranger was. Rita approached her, also looking at the spot. “More powerful than I considered her to be.”

“She was lucky.” Rita commented. “But once you unleash your other powers, not only she, but no human will be able to stop you!”

Rita laughed and Madam Woe laughed as well, agreeing with the Sorceress. Still, she wanted a rematch. She wanted the Green Power Ranger in her dimensions, a victim of her Sapphire Pond and her Power Coin as her prize. Yes, she wanted revenge.

“Shall I start then?” Madam Woe asked Rita. “Gathering specimens shouldn’t be too hard and the Green Power Ranger won’t be a problem for a while. As soon as I have what I need, this world will feel my power.”

Rita smiled wickedly. “Then let’s begin!”

\--

The Green Power Ranger arrived at the Command Center and immediately fell to the floor. She took out her helmet, breathing deep and coughing. Alpha brought her some water, which she thanked him for. After drinking all of it in one gulp, she got up, with difficulty, and Powered Down. She immediately felt the pain all over her body and couldn’t help but to wince and hold in a scream of pain.

“You fought strongly, but bravely, Trini,” Zordon said. “I know this was one of your most difficult battles, but the Power will fix you.”

“One of the most?” Trini asked, leaning against one of the panels for support. “Try the worst one yet!”

Zordon simply nodded.

“Zordon,” She looked up to him. “Who is she? Did you find anything about her?”

Zordon made a motion that Trini assumed was a sigh. “We found pieces of references from her, but nothing too concrete or that tells us much about her.”

“Well,” Trini crossed her arms. “What do we know about her?”

“The only mention of a power of hers is connected to her gem in her forehead.” Alpha informed. “We didn’t know it had the ability of transportation to different realities.”

“Different realities?” Trini still had a lot to learn about realities, dimensions, realms, planes, and others.

“Most likely a pocket dimension located within the blue gem.” Alpha explained. “The reality-changing energies were coming from it, so that is probably where she would have taken you.”

Trini nodded. “Her other abilities, nothing mentions them?”

“No, no specific abilities.” Alpha pressed a few buttons to check again. “For all we know now, those attacks she used against you might be her only attacks.”

“Long cutting nails, living hair braids that shoot lighting, explosive breath, and to top it all, she can fly.” Trini numbered. She turned to Zordon. “If this dimension or reality or whatever she was about to take me really is inside her gem, wouldn’t that mean she would be stronger there?”

Zordon remained silent, considering the question. “It could be.”

“Great.” Trini threw her arms up. “And most of my attacks don’t work with her!”

“The new attack worked!” Alpha reminded her.

“But it wasn’t an offensive attack.” Trini sighed. “The Dragon Shield protected me, but it wouldn’t be for too long. I could try my ÁnhSángCủa Rồng, but it’s not too strong, especially if she is not a clay Monster. My other hope would be…”

She looked at Zordon.

“The BóngCủa Rồng.” Zordon concluded.

“But Trini,” Alpha touched her shoulder. “It’s a powerful attack. You only used it once, and after it, you spent almost twelve hours passed out, and like Zordon said, we don’t know if it will work on her or the gem.”

Trini knew it was a risk. Nevertheless, if it became her last resort…

“So, I think we should focus on her gem then,” Trini suggested. “If it is somehow her source of power, we should work on how to get rid of it.”

“I’m going to look for similar gems with related properties!” Alpha announced and returned to the computers’ panels.

“As for you, Trini,” Zordon said, making her face him. “You should get some rest. The battle wasn’t easy and your body needs to relax.”

“But Zordon,” Trini began to argue. “What if they take this opportunity to attack?”

“We will be monitoring everything, do not worry.” Zordon assured her. “Besides, the fact you were able to stop Madam Woe probably made them retreat and think of another plan.”

Trini wanted to say more, but her body wanted her to get some rest and she knew there was no arguing with Zordon, so she simply nodded.

“I’m heading home then,” Trini said as she moved away from the panels to the middle of the Command Center. “Tell me if you find anything, ok?”

"We will.” Zordon nodded. “Rest and recharge your energies, Trini. I feel you will need them.”

Trini sighed, knowing he was definitely right. After saying goodbye, she teleported out, straight to her house.

\--

Trini arrived at her room and let out a long sigh before falling on top of her bed. Her body still ached, but she could feel the Power slowly making its job on healing her. She closed her eyes, allowing herself a few moments of tranquility. She believed she deserved it, after all.

She had fought quite a lot of Monsters ever since becoming a Power Ranger, and there had been the ones that were more difficult to deal with, but Madam Woe… She could only hope that Alpha and Zordon would find out more about her so she could defeat her, but then again…

She winced a bit, still feeling her muscles sore, as she sat up. If Rita had been able to summon someone as powerful as Madam Woe, what was going to stop her from doing it so again? If she could do that now, did that mean she would stop using clay-made Monsters? If so… Trini would have to up her game. Fighting Rita would no longer be a walk in the park. She could feel it.

“Trini?” Her mother’s voice came from behind her bedroom’s door followed by a knock. “Are you there?”

“I’m here, mom.” Trini answered.

The door opened and mother came in. She looked surprised to see Trini there.

“I didn’t see you coming home,” Her mother commented. “Billy is on the phone.”

Trini resisted the urge to hit herself and just gave her mother a smile and a nod. She was supposed to meet Billy at his house, but Zordon had called her and then there was the fight.

“I’ll be right down,” Trini said, not wanting to get up in front of her mother and show some sign of pain. “Thanks, mom.”

Mrs. Kwan smiled and walked out, leaving the door opened. Trini sighed and forced herself up, wincing less than before. It wouldn’t take long for the Power to heal her body completely.

She left her room and climbed down the stairs, walking into the living room. She picked up the phone, but before saying anything, she noticed the skies through the window. It was a clear and sunny day when she teleported out of the park, and she didn’t remember anything about storms on that morning’s weather report.

“Trini? Are you there?” She heard Billy’s voice coming from the phone.

“Yeah,” She answered him. “Sorry Billy. Just got distracted.”

“What happened? I thought we had scheduled an appointment for this afternoon.” Trini could tell her friend was a bit disappointed with her.

“I know, you are right about our appointment,” Trini said apologetically. “But something came up at the last minute and I didn’t have time to tell you. I’m sorry.”

“This isn’t like you, Trini,” Billy said honestly. “You didn’t use to miss previously arranged engagements, even less not give a previous warning that you were going to be unattended.”

Trini closed her eyes, cursing herself. Billy was right. She was always a punctual person and it wasn’t like to leave her friends hanging without any explanation. Becoming a Power Ranger made her social life hard to deal with, something she didn’t have a problem before.

“I am really sorry, Billy.” Trini apologized again. “Things just have been… complicated, you know?”

“I cannot say I do,” Billy replied with his usual honesty. “You are aware you can discuss any sort of complication you are dealing with at the moment, are you not?”

“I am,” Trini smiled. Billy might be upset, but he was still Billy. “I know it’s no use of me telling you not to worry, but really, don’t worry about it.”

“We are going to reschedule our studying meeting.” Billy said, not suggested, which made Trini smile.

“We sure are.” Trini said. An extremely loud thunder roared alongside a very bright lightning. Trini frowned at the strange change of weather. “So, hum, we’ll talk later?”

“Affirmative.” Billy responded. “I believe it is in your best intention to stay inside for the rest of the day. They are broadcasting in regards to an incoming storm.”

“Yeah,” She looked at the skies. “I can see that. Bye Billy.”

“Bye Trini.” She hung up the phone and stepped closer to the window. It sure looked like a big storm was brewing.

She turned and grabbed the remote control, turning the TV on. There was a report on about the strange change of weather and how meteorologists predicted that a big scale storm was about to hit Angel Grove and advised all citizens to stay indoors. Trini hummed and looked at the skies once again. Something definitely wasn’t right.

She ran upstairs, back to her room, already feeling her body much better. She closed the door, making sure her mother couldn’t hear her and tapped on her Communicator. Her gut was telling that this storm wasn’t normal.

“Zordon, Alpha, come in.” She said.

“We read you, Trini.” Alpha responded.

“What is it, Trini?” Zordon asked.

“Have you guys seen the reports about the storm coming to Angel Grove?” She asked. “This sudden change of weather doesn’t seem normal to me.”

Zordon made a noise, indicating that he was thinking. “Alpha, analyze the readings of the storm.”

“Right on it, Zordon!” Alpha complied.

“Rita can’t control the weather,” Trini stated. Well, at least she never had before. “This got to be Madam Woe, right?”

“Possibly.” Zordon answered. “We are still gathering information about her, but it seems that the sort of gem she possesses can grant more powers than we originally thought.”

“Like making it rain?” Trini asked. She opened the curtains of her bedroom window, surprised to see that it was already starting to rain. Hard, nonetheless.

“Unfortunately, I cannot confirm it for now.” Zordon told her.

“Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Alpha exclaimed. “The readings I’m getting indicate that the climate change isn’t normal. There is a mystical stimulus influencing it!”

“So it has to be Madam Woe!” Trini exclaimed as she looked at the rain falling down from the sky, becoming thicker and stronger.

“That would be most likely.” Zordon said.

“Did you find anything else on her?” Trini asked. “Or maybe on the gem?”

“Actually, I found some writings about twin gems, a blue, and a red one, with a variety of powers, but they apparently had control over the weather.” Alpha explained.

“So she’s using the blue gem to make it rain.” Trini concluded.

“It would seem so,” Alpha continued. “The gem might have granted her other powers too, like the ability to create a most-likely pocket dimension.”

“So, that isn’t the power of the gem?” Trini asked a bit confused.

“We are not sure,” Zordon said. “We don’t know what other powers she possesses without the gem, and how having the gem might have changed them and even granted her new powers.”

“Okay,” Trini said, still trying to understand everything. “What about the other gem, any idea what it can do or where I can find it?”

“No location for the other gem,” Alpha said apologetically. “As for what it can do, since it’s a twin, maybe it can perform opposite to the blue one, or maybe it can make the rain stop.”

“That would be good,” Trini commented as she watched the rain getting stronger and stronger.

She ran to the small TV set she had in her bedroom and turned it on, checking the news about the storm. While it said the same thing as the other one she had just seen, it also said there were people still on the streets and the rescue forces were trying to take them to shelters, but there weren’t enough of them and some of the citizens seemed to be volunteering to help them out.

“Zordon,” Trini spoke on her Communicator again. “While you research how to stop her, I can’t stay here and do nothing. This storm is her fault and I have to help.”

“Trini,” Zordon’s voice was serious. “You are still recuperating from the battle. Morphing now would not be advisable.”

“I don’t need to be a Ranger to help people.” She proclaimed as she grabbed a pair of galoshes, a raincoat and an umbrella from her closet. “I can help them just as Trini Kwan.”

“Trini.” Zordon’s tone indicated that he didn’t want her to risk herself.

“Alpha,” Trini interrupted before Zordon could say anything. “Whenever you find something new, contact me, okay?”

“Okay, Trini.” The robot sounded worried. “Be careful!”

“I’ll,” She reassured Alpha and hopefully Zordon as well. “Trini out.”

She dressed herself and checked the nearest shelter to her house that people were going to and furtively left the house without her mother realizing it. She hated doing that, but it was for a good cause. Just like all the other times she had been doing that lately. Ranger business and all.

She ran on the streets, holding her umbrella with all her strength as a strong wind blew in a way that could take people off the ground. She paid attention to see if she could see anyone and hoped the fact that she was wearing a big green raincoat and had a green umbrella would help people spot her. She kept walking towards the direction of the shelter when she heard what sounded like cries of children. She spotted a group of four of them bundled up together on a playground. She ran towards them, seeing that one of them was clearly hurt.

“What happened?” She asked, raising her voice so they could hear her.

“Our friend twisted his ankle!” One of the boys said, pointing to a boy crying and holding his leg.

“We didn’t want to leave him alone!” One of the girls said, sitting close to him.

“Can you help us?” Another boy who was also sitting with them asked her.

“Of course!” She gave the umbrella to the first boy who was taller and approached the hurt one. “I’m going to carry you over to a shelter that is not far away from here, okay?”

The hurt boy nodded and Trini gave him a comforting smile, turning to the other kids. “Stay under the umbrella and close to me, okay?”

The other kids nodded and the five moved away from the playground. The kid wasn’t too heavy, but she silently thanked the Power, knowing it probably had healed her almost completely and it was giving her the extra strength it provided her. The other kids followed her without getting behind as they walked the fastest they could. After a few minutes of more walking, they finally reached the shelter, who had a lot of police cars and ambulances in front of it. A doctor spotted them and came running to meet them.

“What happened?” He asked motioning to the kid in Trini’s arms.

“He hurt his ankle and I found him and his friends, so I brought them here.” Trini explained, moving to get inside.

“That was very brave of you, young lady,” The doctor said as other medical personnel came to help the kids. “We’ll take care of them now.”

“Thank you,” Trini nodded to the doctor and squeezed the hurt boy’s hand as they put him on a gurney. “You feel better, okay?”

“Thank you, lady,” He said with a low voice. She smiled at him and watched as the nurses and doctor took him away to treat him. She turned to the other kids, still smiling.

“You should go and get out of those wet clothes,” Trini advised. “Also, you should find a way to contact your parents.”

“Thank you for your help!” They said and gave her a hug before giving her umbrella back and rushing off.

Trini turned to see the rest of the shelter. It was packed. Not many people seemed hurt, but a lot of them had blankets and hot beverages with them. The storm really took a lot of people by surprise. She started walking around, trying to find a towel and something hot to drink when she spotted Ernie handing out cups of steaming beverages.

“Ernie!” She said as she ran towards him. “What are you doing here?”

“Trini!” His eyes bulged as he saw the state the girl was in. “I should be the one asking you that! Are you insane of going out in this weather?”

“You know me, Ernie,” She pointed out. “I like helping people.”

“Yeah, you and your friends,” Ernie commented as he poured coffee into a cup for her. “Here you go. Now, let’s find you something so you can dry yourself.”

“Thanks,” She said as she accepted the cup, but frowned. “Wait, you said ‘you and your friends’. Who’s here?”

“There they come.” Ernie motioned with his head to her behind. She turned around to see Jason and Zack coming towards her.

“Trini!” Zack said. He looked at her, surprised to see her there. “Are you okay?”

“You were out there too?” Jason asked, looking her up and down, probably checking to see if she was hurt.

“Of course.” She said and gave the two a look. “Just like you two, I presume.”

They both shared a look and gave her a small smile, nodding.

“Just don’t tell me you think only boys can volunteer.” She kidded. She knew those two would never think like that.

“Not at all.” Zack said as he grabbed a towel that Ernie had just brought and gave it to her.

“Yeah, even Kimberly Hart was here helping out.” Jason commented.

“Wait, Kimberly?” Trini asked surprised, but then she stopped drying her hair. “What do you mean she was here? She isn’t here anymore?”

Zack shot Jason an upset look, before sighing and turning to Trini, shaking his head negatively. “No, she isn’t here now.”

“Where is she then?” Trini asked, worry starting to fill her.

“She,” Jason started, giving Zack a look, but continued. “She heard about some people still being out there and they couldn’t get to them, so…”

“So?” Trini asked expectantly.

“She left.” Zack explained. “She got her things and ran out, saying she was going to help them.”

“What?” Trini gave the towel back to Zack and the coffee cup to Jason. She started moving towards the entrance, the two boys following her. “When was this?”

“Maybe twenty minutes ago?” Jason said unsurely.

“The storm is just getting stronger!” Trini said. “Nobody tried to stop her or went with her?”

“She was so quick and it took everyone by surprise.” Zack explained. “By the time she was out in the rain, some of the rescuers went after her.”

“I am assuming they didn’t come back.” Trini said, already knowing they hadn’t.

“Trini,’ Zack grabbed her shoulder, making her stop walking. “You are not seriously considering going out there, are you?”

“It’s like you said, the rain is only getting stronger,” Jason argued. “I’m sure the rescuers are going to find her and the others and bring them here safely.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but **I** just can’t wait for that,” She said, already preparing herself to leave. “You two stay here and be safe.”

“What about you?!” Zack asked worriedly.

“Trini, this is madness!” Jason said, trying to make her understand the gravity of the situation.

“I know, but,” She looked at Zack. “I just can’t.”

“Trini,” Zack was about to say something, but Trini raised a hand to stop him.

“I’m going and I’ll come back, trust me,” She said. She smiled at them and lowered her voice so only the two could hear. “Take care of each other.”

She turned away from them, leaving the two watching her go helplessly. She was fast enough to pass through anyone who would want to stop her from leaving. She looked at the state of the rain, her vision hardly making out what was right in front of her, but she needed to find Kimberly. With the rain like this, she shouldn’t be too far. She took a few steps when her Communicator beeped. She couldn’t believe. Not now!

“I hear you.” She said into the Communicator.

“Trini!” It was Alpha. “We finally found more information!”

“That’s great, but,” Trini kept looking at the streets that were flooding more and more by the minute.

“Trini,” Zordon spoke. “Come to the Command Center. We believe we can defeat Madam Woe and stop the rain.”

Trini closed her eyes, knowing what she needed to do, even if she hated herself for it right now. “I’m going.”

She didn’t even check to see if anyone could see her before she teleported.

\--

She arrived at the Command Center, removing her raincoat and approaching Alpha. “What did you find?”

“We found where the red gem is.” Alpha told her.

“As we also found out the rain created by Madam Woe was a distraction.” Zordon said, confirming she was the one responsible for the storm.

“A distraction?” Trini was confused. “Why create a storm of this scale if it was just a distraction? And a distraction for what?”

“Observe the Viewing Globe.” Zordon instructed.

Trini turned to see Madam Woe in different places around Angel Grove. The rain had already begun. She appeared in front of different people and used her gem to distort the reality around, as she did it in their battle, making the people disappear.

“So, all this rain was just to distract us so she could kidnap people?” Trini asked, still watching her capturing other people.

“She most likely assumed we would only try to find a way to stop the rain.” Zordon guessed.

“But why is she taking them?” Trini asked.

“The reason, we still don’t know,” Zordon said. “What we do know is where she is taking them.”

“The pocket dimension, right?” Trini assumed.

“Yes.” Alpha said. “It is also where the other gem is!”

“What?” Trini looked at the robot. “The red gem is hidden… inside the blue gem?”

“Madam Woe most likely stole it together with the blue gem.” Zordon stated. “Probably fearing that the power of the red gem would be used against her, she hid in a place where only she could access.”

“That means that she doesn’t want other people getting the red gem,” Trini said thoughtfully. “Maybe this means it can cause her some harm as well.”

“It would be a reason for her to hide it.” Zordon agreed.

“But why not destroy it then?” Trini wondered.

“From what I could gather, the gems are quite powerful,” Alpha explained. “Destroying one probably wouldn’t be too easy. There is also the fact they are twin gems, opening the possibility of one getting destroyed if the other is destroyed as well.”

“It would make sense.” Trini nodded. “This means I will have to go inside the pocket dimension.”

Zordon’s expression made it clear that he didn’t really like that idea. “Alpha and I are trying to find a way to maybe draw out the red gem without the need of you going there.”

“You think it’s possible?” Trini asked and went back to watching the Viewing Globe when her heart stopped. “No!”

“What?” Alpha asked. “What’s wrong?”

Trini pointed to the Viewing Globe, which showed Madam Woe capturing Kimberly and taking her into the pocket dimension just like the others.

“You know her?” Zordon asked.

“Yes!” Trini said louder than she intended. “She goes to my school. Zordon! I need to rescue her!”

“Trini, I still don’t think it is wise to go inside her dimension.” Zordon said carefully. “We still don’t know much about it and you would be going in blindly.”

“What about the other people she also kidnapped?” Trini asked, trying to give more reason for to go. “I can’t just leave them there!”

Zordon said nothing, meaning she had a point.

“I’m going Zordon.” She said definitively. She turned to Alpha. “Since the red gem is there, I have more chances of winning.”

“Oh, Trini, please be careful!” Alpha pleaded.

“Don’t worry, I will be.” She smiled and patted the robot on the shoulder. She faced Zordon and they nodded to each other.

“ **It’s Morphin’ Time!** ” She shouted. “ **Dragonzord!** ”

\--

Kimberly hit the ground hard, her head still spinning. She still had her eyes closed, but she could hear a couple of other people talking. She shivered, her wet clothes clinging to her skin uncomfortably. What exactly had happened? She struggled to get up as she remembered the last thing that had happened.

She heard there were still people outside on the storm and that they needed help. She didn’t even think twice before leaving the shelter to find them and help them. She was running as much as the rain allowed her when… she heard that terrifying laughter. She looked behind her to see a woman or at least **something** that looked like a woman, dressed in white with blue hair floating above her. Before she could react, something on her forehead began to glow, things started to get dizzy…, and now she was here.

The ‘woman’ was definitely one of the Monsters that were terrorizing Angel Grove for the last months. She never actually saw one live, but she had seen reports about them on TV. She had hoped she would never have to bump into one of them, but then again, living in this city was probably almost impossible. She actually knew a lot of people who had run into these Monsters. Well, now she was part of that club. Yay.

She finally gave a good look at the place she was. Somehow, it felt small. What she assumed was the sky was dark and blue, and somehow seemed to be shimmering, which reminded Kimberly of when people on TV tried to show how it would be underwater. The floor was solid but covered in mist. There were a few dried branches sprouting from the ground and some big rock formations. She looked around more and carefully started to walk. She had heard other people, but where were they?

She walked a bit more until she stopped in her tracks. Not too far away from her, there was what looked like a lake of light blue colored water, but the frightening thing was that above it, the female Monster was hovering it and using what seemed like braids from her hair to drag two people inside the lake. Half of them was already inside it, but they were still desperately trying to escape. Kimberly was about to move and try to help them when the two were completely submerged.

The girl watched in horror, as they seemed to dissolve in the water, turning into a darker blue foam that the Monster made go inside two small glass-like vials. She sent them levitating to an altar by the lake where several other vials of the same dark blue foam where alongside a bigger, darker vase which she could see what was inside. She almost jumped out of her skin when the Monster turned to her, laughing that horrible laugh.

“Your turn now!” The Monster announced.

Kimberly didn’t need to think twice before she spun away, running as fast as she could. She had no idea where to go, but staying there was the last thing she should do. She could hear the Monster’s laughter behind her, following her. She wanted to look behind her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. As she kept running, she noticed that the scenery didn’t change, meaning she was probably running in circles in this crazy place. Which meant she had to do something. She wasn’t about to let some creepy Monster turn her into foam for her weird collection.

She finally turned around, seeing the Monster floating towards her. The Monster shot her braids towards Kimberly, who thanks to her gymnast reflexes and abilities, avoided them just in time. She rolled on the ground and tried to hide herself behind one of the dried branches. Now, what was she going to do? Fight the Monster? She wasn’t the Green Power Ranger.

Yet, she couldn’t just do nothing. She grabbed a piece of the branch and struggled with it for a moment before breaking it. She thought she could use it against the Monster. Somehow. Hopefully. She held the piece of branch tightly with both hands, ready to use it as a bat and slowly stepped back from the rest of the branch formation, her eyes glued to the Monster, who tilted her head at the sight before laughing.

“Human, do you really think you can fight me?” She laughed again and pointed at the ‘weapon’ Kim had in her hands. “What are you going to do with me with a twig?”

“Not letting you pull me underwater, lady.” Kimberly said, happy with herself that she had sounded brave enough.

“We will see about that!” She raised her arms and her braids snatched the makeshift weapon from Kimberly’s hands, leaving the girl completely frightened. The braids in the air, ready to attack Kimberly, when they stopped.

“What?” Kimberly whispered to herself. The Monster seemed to be hearing something that the girl couldn’t hear. Her head was raised, but Kimberly really couldn’t hear anything. The Monster turned to her and raised herself, above enough that the girl could no longer see her.

“I will be back for you!” The Monster’s voice echoed as she vanished from sight.

Kimberly put a hand over her chest and sighed in relief. She was safe. Well, at least for now. She looked around the strange place, now sighing in frustration. How was she going to get out of here?

\--

The Green Power Ranger stood on the same beach she first fought Madam Woe, looking around the tempest falling from the sky and the sea becoming more and more furious. She had to stop her soon, or else Angel Grove would most likely be underwater in a few hours. So, she kept calling for her, hoping that she could hear her from the pocket dimension. It was a long shot, but it was the only one she could think of.

“Come to finish what we started?” The Green Power Ranger whirled around at the voice. Madam Woe was making her usual entrance as she levitated from above to the ground.

“It’s time to finish what **you** started!” The Green Power Ranger exclaimed as she took out her Dragon Dagger and charged.

\--

Kimberly felt like she had walked for hours around this place, but everything seemed just the same. Her mind actually wondered about the possibility of her being stuck in a sort of a sound stage made by the Monster. Yeah, that was ridiculous. Yet, she had to think of something or else she would most likely go insane by seeing only the same foggy floor, the formations of dried branches and the dark brownish black rocks and the… slightly less dark brownish-black rock?

She approached the rock, almost unnoticeable, but Kim liked arts, so she considered herself to be one able to distinguish different tones of colors, and this rock, in particular, had a different shade from the others. She turned around, giving all the other rocks another look, but this time, a more analytical one and turned back to the one that stood in front of her. She could tell they looked exactly the same, but the pigmentation was different for some reason. Question was… why?

She walked away from the different one and stood in front of one that looked like the others. She ran her hands on it and she could feel that they were just rocks. Sure, rocks in an apparently different dimension, but rocks nonetheless. She knocked on the rock, feeling the hardness of it. So, they were rocks after all, but what about the other one?

Doing the same things, she ran her hands through the different colored one. The rock felt just like the others, but something in her guts told her that this one was different for some reason, she just didn’t know why. Finally, she knocked on it just like she did with the other one, but to her surprise, she didn’t feel the same thing. In fact, from the sound it had just made, this rock was hollow.

\--

The two were fighting just like before, but the Green Power Ranger was doing a bit better, knowing more about her opponent’s attacks and movements. She had avoided the braids until now and was even able to get in some slashes at the Monster, but Madam Woe also delivered some in her, like her nails and that explosive breath. The Green Power Ranger knew she was stalling the Monster, but Madam Woe still hadn’t tried to send her to her pocket dimension.

“You fight better than I assumed you did.” Madam Woe said as they stood facing each other. The ever-growing rain almost made it almost impossible for them to see each other clearly.

“I have some cards up my sleeve.” The Green Power Ranger said, but by the lack of response, she believed the Monster didn’t understand the expression. “Although, I gotta say, this rain is really slowing me down. I bet I could take you if the weather wasn’t an issue.”

“You believe so?” Madam Woe asked smugly, once again, raising in the air. “You truly believe you would be able to fight me in my own territory?”

“Afraid you are going to make a fool of yourself in it?” She said with the right tone in order to provoke Madam Woe. This had to work.

“How dare you?!” Madam Woe really got provoked. She raised her arms and then crossed them, doing the same move she had done before. Soon enough, the blue gem was glowing and the area around them started to shift. Only this time, the Green Power Ranger surrendered to it.

The feeling of having yourself ripped apart from one dimension to another was horrible, but the Green Power Ranger was able to balance herself as the scenario stopped to shake and she saw the pocket dimension. Her vision was slightly blurry, but she could see a blue lake right in front of her. She noticed tracks near it like people got dragged into it. What was she doing with the people she kidnapped?

“Welcome to my world, Ranger!” Madam Woe announced laughing with her arms raised. She motioned to the blue lake with one hand and then to the altar near it with the other. “This is my Sapphire Pond, your final destination!”

The Green Power Ranger took the chance she was congratulating herself and was distracted. She pointed her Dragon Dagger to her, focusing on the Dagger itself and the Power within it. The blade started to shine with a bright green light.

“What are you-” Madam Woe noticed the weapon pointed at her, but she didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence.

“ **ÁnhSángCủa Rồng!** ” An almost blinding bright green light shot from the Dagger, hitting the Monster full on, sending her several feet away as she screamed.

The Green Power Ranger lowered her Dagger and tried to see if she could spot the Monster, but she couldn’t. Yet, she knew this attack wouldn’t affect her much since it hardly affected other Monsters. This attack was more for dealing with Putties.

She turned around checking the pocket dimension, hoping that Kimberly hadn’t suffered whatever it was one would if they fell into this ‘Sapphire Pond’. She looked at the floor, trying to see more tracks, but the mist wasn’t helping her, but finally, to relieve her some, she saw footsteps clearly running away from the pond. Hopefully, they were Kim’s. The Green Power Ranger followed them as she ran.

Not long after, she felt like a huge weight lifted from her shoulders as she saw Kimberly with her back to her with her hands on her hips, apparently analyzing one of the several rocks the pocket dimension. She almost yelled her name, but she quickly remembered that Kim never met the Green Power Ranger.

“Miss?” The Green Power Ranger tried, making the girl turn away from the rock with a startled expression, but once she saw who it was, she ran and hugged the Ranger.

“Oh! It’s you!” Kimberly said relieved. “I thought I was going to stay here forever or worse, die!”

“It’s okay.” The Green Power Ranger patted her on her back, making her let go. “Are you hurt?”

“No! No, I’m fine!” Kim answered. “I was actually pretty lucky. That… thing brought me here and she was about to submerge me into that lake and put me on one of those vials, but I actually managed to escape.”

“Madam Woe.” The Green Power Ranger informed her.

“What?” Kimberly asked confused.

“The thing, the Monster that brought you here, that’s her name.” The Green Power Ranger explained.

“Oh.” Kimberly seemed surprised. “I didn’t know these Monsters even had names.”

“Most of them,” The Green Power Ranger said. “Wait, you said something about her trying to drag you into the pond and then… put you in a vial?”

Kimberly nodded frantically, an expression of fear taking over her face. “Oh, it was horrible! There were other two people here when she brought me. She pulled them inside the, hum, pond, and they…”

“What happened to them?” The Green Power Ranger asked, putting a hand on her arm to try to comfort her.

Kim closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. “They were completely submerged and then they turned into, I don’t know exactly, but it was some kind of dark blue foam. She took it and put in vials that then she put on an altar.”

The Green Power Ranger remembered the altar and of catching a glimpse of the said vials, but she had no idea they were… people.

“And,” The Green Power Ranger shook her head briefly, trying to focus. “You managed to escape her?”

Kimberly laughed nervously. “Yeah, it was just like dumb luck, really.”

“No,” The Green Power Ranger reassured her. “You did great, trust me.”

Kimberly blushed slightly. ‘Thanks. Oh! I have to show you this!”

She grabbed the Ranger’s gloved hand and dragged her to the rock she was analyzing. She stopped the Green Power Ranger in front of it and indicated it with her head as if to tell the Ranger something about the rock.

“You wanted to show me this rock?” The Green Power Ranger asked, trying to imagine the reason why.

“Yeah!” Kimberly said as if it was obvious. “Don’t you notice everything different in it?”

The Green Power Ranger looked at it closer and then at the others, but she wasn’t seeing what Kimberly was. She shook her head, which clearly disappointed the other girl. “I’m sorry, I don’t see anything different.”

“It’s the color!” Kimberly explained, pointing at the rock in question and at the others. “It’s different from the others! Plus!”

She once again grabbed the Ranger’s hand and put it close to the rock. “Knock on it.”

“What?” The Green Power Ranger asked clearly confused.

“Just do it!” Kimberly told her.

Not wanting to upset the girl who clearly had gone through a lot here, she made a fist and knocked on the rock… and she heard the noise indicating the hollowness coming from it. She turned to Kimberly, surprised, but not like the other girl could tell because of the helmet.

“It’s hollow.” The Green Power Ranger said.

“Yes!” Kimberly said with a grin. “And I checked the other ones. This is the only one like this.”

“So, then this must be where it is.” The Green Power Ranger said as she took a few steps back.

“Where what is?” Kimberly asked, also stepping away from the rocks, following the Ranger’s lead.

“Something that can stop the rain, and hopefully Madam Woe as well.” The Green Power Ranger explained.

“Oh!” Kimberly looked at the rock with bulged eyes. “You can break it, right?”

Trini smiled behind her helmet. “Of course I can. Just, stand behind me.”

Kimberly did as instructed and looked curious at what the Ranger was going to do. She saw the Green Power Ranger take her dagger and point at the rock. The dagger glowed for a few moments before the Ranger said something in a language Kimberly didn’t recognize. A bright green light shot from the dagger and pulverized the rock. The Ranger put the dagger back in its holster and walked to where the rock once was, clearly looking for something.

“What are we looking for?” Kimberly asked as she walked close to the Green Power Ranger.

“This!” The Green Power Ranger crouched and grabbed something from the floor. She raised it to show to Kimberly, and the girl saw it was a red gem, one that was…

 “It’s just like the one that Madam what’s-her-face has on her forehead!” Kimberly said.

“Yes.” The Green Power Ranger nodded. “We think this will be able to annul the storm and possibly injure her.”

“We?” Kimberly asked curiously. Did the Green Power Ranger work with others?

Before the Green Power Ranger could say anything, she got yanked away from Kimberly’s side, dropping the red gem as she was dragged away by Madam Woe’s braids. Kimberly watched in shock as the Monster lifted the Ranger into the air and started electrocuting her.

“You really think you have any chance to beat me?” Madam Woe asked, clearly angry as she kept electrocuting the Green Power Ranger. “This will be your grave!”

“It’s time for you Monsters to get new material!” The Green Power Ranger said as she used her Dragon Dagger to slash her hard across the face, making the two fall to the floor. “I’ve heard that before.”

Kimberly watched as the two struggled and then she eyed the red gem left behind. The Monster probably didn’t see it or wasn’t caring about it now as she was busy fighting. Kimberly thought what she should do or even if she should do anything at all, but the Green Power Ranger said that the red gem could harm Madam Woe, meaning, she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

“Green Ranger!” She yelled as she got up, the red gem in her grasp. She lifted to show it to Ranger, trying to send her a message.

Gladly, the Green Power Ranger got the message. She quickly raised the Dragon Dagger to her mouth plate. “Cover your ears!”

Kimberly did it immediately as the Ranger began to play the dagger almost like a flute, producing a sound that clearly bothered the Monster. With the Monster distracted, the Green Power Ranger jumped over her, landing behind her, and holding her, the dagger now at Madam Woe’s neck.

“Connect the two gems!” The Green Power Ranger instructed from a hopefully right guess.

Kimberly nodded and rushed towards the two as fast she could before the Monster could break away and smacked the red gem into the blue gem. As soon as the two connected, strings of red and blue energy emanated from the two gems, crackling and sizzling as the dimension around them began to shift rapidly. As explosions began to occur, the Green Power Ranger shoved Madam Woe aside and dove to protect Kimberly. The two fell on the floor as the pocket dimension shook violently until it completely disappeared.

“Are you okay?” The Green Power Ranger asked.

Kimberly simply nodded.

The Green Power Ranger helped her up and they both realized they were back at the beach Madam Woe had fought the Green Power Ranger. The rain had stopped completely, the sea was calm again and the sky was bright like nothing had happened. While the entire pocket dimension was gone, the altar that was there also came back with them.

\--

Watching from her telescope at her Moon Palace, Rita screamed in anger, not believing Madam Woe had lost. She turned with rage in her eyes to her two bumbling lackeys. “Baboo! Squatt!”

“Yes, your majesty!” Both responded, shaking in fear.

“I need you both to go down there immediately!” She ordered. “I need one of you to grab both gems and the other to grab the contents from the altar! Move quickly before that blasted Ranger ruins everything!”

“Yes!” They bumped into each other before teleporting down to Earth.

\--

“You!” Madam Woe walked wobbly towards the two. Her forehead smoking. A black and scorched hole where the blue gem used to be. “You will pay for this!”

“You need to go. I will finish her.” The Green Power Ranger told Kimberly without taking her eyes of the Monster.

“Are you sure?” Kimberly asked touching the Ranger’s arm, which made her look at Kimberly.

“I’m sure.” The Green Power Ranger nodded. “Now go! It’s not safe here.”

Kimberly nodded and ran away from the battle.

“Ready to finish this?” The Green Power Ranger asked.

“I might have lost my gem,” Madam Woe’s voice was weaker but still defiant. “But I’m still more than a simple Monster made by Rita!”

“We will see about that.” The Green Power Ranger started to walk faster towards her, green energy running through her body as she moved her hands in the shape of a ball. She got closer to the Monster, the ball of Green Power already complete in her hand. “ **Ngọc Rồng!** ”

The ball hit Madam Woe on the chest, sending the Monster flying back, causing an explosion once she hit the ground. Trini sighed in relief from under the helmet, glad it was over. Unnoticed to her, Baboo and Squatt had teleported to the place. The bat-like creature took all the vials from the altar as well as the big vase, while the short blue creature grabbed the blue gem from the floor, but he couldn’t find the red one anywhere.

“We need to go now, Squatt!” Baboo told him, which made the Green Power Ranger aware they were there.

“Hey!” She turned and began to run towards them. “What are you doing?”

“We are leaving!” Squatt said as he teleported with Baboo following him right after.

The Green Power Ranger sighed, unsure what to think of them taking what they did, but she didn’t have much time to think about it when she heard Madam Woe’s voice from behind. She turned around, stunned to see the Monster still standing. Her dress was ragged and the crown she once had was cracked, but she was still alive.

“You are going to need more than that!” Madam Woe laughed manically.

\--

Back at the Moon Palace, Baboo was busy taking the vials and the vase to the lab while Rita was controlling herself not to blow Squatt into bits for only bringing her one of the gems. She snatched it from his hands and yelled at him to leave her sight. She walked to the balcony, Goldar following her closely. She looked through her telescope, seeing Madam Woe still standing and facing the Green Power Ranger.

“Will just one gem be enough for it?” Goldar asked.

Rita held the blue gem next to the big red orb on her staff, making it glow. “There is only one way to find out.”

After she drained all the power possible from the blue gem and felt her staff powered up, she launched it towards Earth. “Magick Wand, make my monster GROW!”

\--

“How?” The Green Power Ranger couldn’t believe it. She thought that without the gem gone, Madam Woe would be weaker. “How did you survive my attack?”

“Maybe it isn’t as powerful as you think.” Madam Woe said disdainfully. “Is that the most powerful one you have?”

The question made the Green Power Ranger think about the only other she could do it if she hoped to destroy Madam Woe. The two were about to begin fighting again when a staff fell right from the skies and sank into the ground, not too far away from her. Red energy crackled from it as the red orb on it began to glow. The Green Power Ranger recognized the staff as Rita so-called Magick Wand, but what was it doing there?

“Trini!” Zordon said loudly inside her helmet, startling her. “You must destroy Madam Woe immediately!”

“Zordon?” She was a bit confused, still looking at the staff slowly releasing energy into the ground. “What is going on?”

“The energy the Wand is emanating cannot complete its purpose!” He said quite agitated. “It is not working properly, so you need to destroy Madam Woe before the energy reaches that level.”

“I don’t…” She really didn’t know what was going on, but she needed to focus on Madam Woe. “But Zordon, my Ngọc Rồng didn’t work on her. You know what that means.”

“I know.” Zordon said. “We are with teleportation on standby to bring you here. I’m sorry Trini, I do not wish you to use it, but it is our only hope.”

“I know.” She whispered.

She took her Dragon Dagger from the holster and began to focus. The image of the Green Power Coin on the Dagger began to glow at the same time her actual Power Coin began to glow. Soon, all her Ranger Armor Suit began to glow. She felt the Power running throughout her entire body. She raised the Dagger, pointing to Madam Woe and hoping this would work. It had too.

“ **BóngCủa Rồng!** ” A dark green energy-made dragon sprouted from the Dragon Dagger. The dark dragon rushed towards Madam Woe in almost a violent speed. The minute it hit her, the Monster yelled in pain as the dark green energy consumed her body completely, leaving absolutely no trace of her behind.

The Green Power Ranger fell to all fours, breathing with difficulty, but glad it had worked. She was gone. Madam Woe was finally gone. From the corner of her eye, she saw the staff rising from the ground and shooting back to skies. She still wondered what that was all about.

“Green Ranger!” She slowly turned her head to see Kimberly rushing towards her. What was she doing here? She kneeled next to her, trying to help her sit up. “Are you okay? What did you just do with her?”

“I… I just,” The Green Power Ranger’s voice and breathing weren’t cooperating. “It was my most powerful attack. It was the only way to finish her off.”

“Well,” She was giving her a strange look. “At least it worked, right?”

“Yes,” She exhaled. “She is gone.”

“Then I think this will be safer with you.” Kimberly gave her the red gem. The Green Power Ranger looked at her and she offered a small smile. “I thought it was important, so I didn’t let go of it when that place disappeared.”

“Thank-” Oh no. She could feel her Ranger Armor Suit beginning to fade. “Thank you.”

Kimberly now gave her a full and bright smile. “You are welcome. And thank you! You saved my life!”

“I’m sorry, but,” She could feel her normal clothes slowly materializing above her skin. “I really need to go. Will you be able to get somewhere safe?”

“Of course!” Kimberly said, helping her up. “Go! You are probably running out of… green juice.”

Trini actually managed a smile before she teleported away, leaving Kim alone at the beach. The girl looked at the sky, in the direction the green teleportation streak went up with a thoughtful expression. So, the rumors **were** true. The Green Power Ranger was a girl, but how come her voice sounded… familiar?

\--

Trini arrived at the Command Center no longer morphed. Alpha was right there to catch her and not let her fall to the floor. She thanked the robot and used one of the panels to support her. Considering the last time she used that attack, she was doing way finer. She still felt like if she closed her eyelids, she would black out, but her body was still under her control, so… good sign.

“How are you feeling?” Alpha asked.

“Actually, better than last time,” She said a little out of breath. “Honestly, I promise.”

“You did an excellent job, Trini.” Zordon congratulated her. “I am quite proud of you. I know Madam Woe was a foe like none before, but you showed great courage.”

“Thanks,” Trini gave him a small smile. “Oh, I brought you guys something.”

She handed the red gem to Alpha. “You managed to save it?”

“Actually it was Kimberly.” She said, but Alpha tilted his head. “The girl I said I knew and was kidnapped by Madam Woe? She actually helped me in the pocket dimension. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would be here.”

“Well then, I’m glad she was there then!” Alpha said happily. “I’ll run some tests on it, see what it can do and if it can help us.”

“And the blue gem?” Zordon asked.

Trini shook her head, somewhat disappointed at herself. “Baboo and Squatt teleported to the beach when I was distracted. They took the gem, but also they took these things that were in altar that Madam Woe had on her pocket dimension.”

“Altar?” Zordon asked curiously. “And were those things?”

“I’m not sure.” She answered honestly. “The vials… Kimberly said that Madam Woe somehow dissolved some people in a like she called Sapphire Pond in the pocket dimension and that they turned into foams. She put those foams into the vials that Baboo took.”

“Anything else you can remember that he took?” Zordon asked.

“There was also a vase in the altar that he took, but I don’t know what was inside it,” Trini said clearly tired and disappointed. ‘I’m sorry, Zordon.”

“There is nothing to apologize for, Trini.” Zordon reassured her. “You did more than I could ever ask you. We gather information from the red gem and perhaps we can find something connected to the name ‘Sapphire Pond’ you mentioned. You have done marvelously today.”

Trini smiled at her mentor.

“Now,” He had his ‘dad’s voice’. “You need to go home and rest.”

“I will,” Trini said. “But, I wanted to ask… what was with Rita’s staff or wand or whatever appearing in the middle of the battle? Why were you so nervous about me defeating Madam Woe before it could do… whatever it was going to do?”

“I promise, Trini,” Zordon said. “We will talk about at our next meeting, but for now, rest.”

“Okay.” She knew Zordon well enough to know he wouldn’t give information if he didn’t want to.

She said goodbye to both Zordon and Alpha and was about to teleport home when she remembered of Jason and Zack at the shelter! They had to be worried sick! She needed to go there, at least to show them she was alive, but she decided not to tell Zordon. No need for a reprimand. She touched the teleporting button on her Communicator, focusing on a nearby location to the shelter.

\--

She walked towards the shelter, glad to see that most people were okay. She heard there were no casualties. Well… not from the rain… she would deal with that later, once Zordon could actually explain what happened to them. She entered the shelter, looking around for her friends when she almost fell on the floor when more than two bodies hugged her tightly at once.

“Trini!” It was Zack.

“We thought something had happened!” That was Jason.

“I thought I specifically told you not to leave the perimeters of your household.” Wait, Billy was here too?

“Thanks guys for being concerned, but you are quite built and I’m feeling a bit crushed.” She gave them a small smile as they retreated, but they were clearly upset and worried. She hated that she was the one made them feel like that.

“You could have gotten yourself killed, Trinity Thuy Kwan!” Zack said loudly.

Jason discreetly put his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder so he could come down.

“Zack is not completely out of line, Trini,” Billy crossed his arms. “The injuries you could have acquired from going out on that weather of that magnitude could have been grave.”

Trini nodded. “I know, I know, I just…”

“Hey,” Jason put a hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile. “I get what you did what you did. Trust me. I would’ve done the same.”

“I would certainly not, Jason Masashi Lee Scott.” Zack whispered as loudly as he could.

Jason and Trini laughed while Billy tried to hide a smirk.

Zack sighed. “And speaking of reasons,” He pointed to someone by Ernie’s table. “ **Someone** wants to talk to you.”

It was Kimberly!

“She-she wants to talk to me?” Trini asked.

“Yes!” Jason said excitedly. “Now go!”

Trini let Jason push her towards Kimberly, not really trusting her legs.

“We are still going to have a talk about what you did today!” Zack said.

“Affirmative!” Billy agreed.

She approached the other girl, smiling at her when she saw her. Kimberly gave the same smile she gave to the Green Power Ranger. So technically, she gave her two of the same smiles.

“Trini!” Kimberly said happily. “I’m so glad you are okay!”

“Yeah!” Trini ran a hand through her long hair. “Bit tired, but I’m okay.”

“I can only imagine!” Kimberly shook her head. “Going out on the storm and all that.”

“Well, you know,” Trini fidgeted a little.

“Is it true?” Kimberly asked a little quieter.

“What?” Trini asked back.

“That you went out there, on the insane weather, to find me?”

Trini could feel her blush burning her face. “Oh! Well, you know… I heard you went there to help some people, and I thought, well, you would probably need someone to help you, maybe.”

Kimberly smiled and took one of Trini’s hand into both of her. The other girl felt like her heart was just going to burst out of her chest. “Thank you, Trini. That was one of the bravest things anyone has ever done to me.”

“Oh, well, it was…” Trini looked at Kim, sighed and smiled. “You’re welcome, Kimberly.”

Kimberly smiled and squeezed her hands before letting go. “So, I was thinking, would you like to go out?”

“What?” That took her completely by surprise.

“Yeah!” Kimberly smiled. “Like shopping or something like that. Spend some girl-time together.”

“Oh.” So it wasn’t on a… “Oh! Of course. I would love too.”

“Awesome!” Kimberly smiled and leaned over so only they could hear. “And there I can tell you the hottest gossip I know.”

“Which is?” Why was she whispering?

“I know for a fact the Green Power Ranger is a girl.” She smiled broadly. She gave her a piece of paper. “This my phone number. Call me later tonight so we can schedule our ‘girl-time something’, okay? Bye!”

Trini was completely and utterly dumbfounded. She just got Kimberly Hart’s number so the two could go out. The girl knew she went out to help and she did save her, even though she didn’t know it was her… and wait… How did she know **for sure** the Green Power Ranger was a girl?

\--

Finster was at the lab in the Moon Palace together with Baboo and Squatt, which made the artisan creature a bit unnerved. It wasn’t like he despised the other two like Goldar or even their majesty, but he just preferred to work alone. In any case, they were working on different things, so they weren’t really interacting.

While the two were carefully safekeeping the vials with the dark foams as well as pouring the what was left of the Sapphire Pond from the vase retrieved from Madam Woe’s pocket dimension. He wondered to himself what Rita was going to do with them.

“How is it going, Finster?” Rita asked as she entered the room looking directly at him.

The creature had the blue gem in one of his hands while he held a device in his other. After trying to use the power of the gem to make her wand work, Rita ordered him to see what he could do to extract more power from the gem.

“My majesty,” He greeted her. “The prognosis, unfortunately, is not the best.”

“And what is the prognosis?” She asked with a leveled voice.

“The gem was already drained most of its power when it was brought here,” He began to explain. “I believe the storm caused by Madam Woe might have taken a toll on it, also, the contact with the red gem seemed to somehow negate the powers from this one, basically neutralizing it.”

“If that is so, how was I able to draw power from it?” She asked.

“A fraction of residual energy only, I am afraid,” He said putting aside the device and showing the gem to his majesty. “It no longer has powers. It is essentially dead. If it will one day recharge, I am uncertain.”

Rita sighed and took the gem from Finster, analyzing it against the light of the lab. “Such a shame. This only means I’ll need to find another source of power to make my wand work properly and permanently. I simply cannot wait for my magick to return naturally.”

Finster simply nodded. He imagined that giving the results to her would make her mad, but she seemed to be in her usual mood. He followed her with his eyes as she approached Baboo and Squatt.

“What about you two?” Her voice’s tone changed slightly. “Is everything in order?”

“Yes,” Baboo said somewhat exasperated. He showed the containers all lined up. “There were quite a lot of vials and none of them broke. Plus, the amount of water left from the Sapphire Pond is also quite a lot.”

“Good,” She said simply, looking at the two types of liquids in front of her. “There will come in handy very soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could tell, Trini’s attacks are written in Vietnamese. I’m no expert in the language, so if anyone knows if I wrote something wrong, please let me know. Here is a list of translations for the attacks:
> 
> Ngọc Rồng – Dragon Ball  
> Rồng Giáp – Dragon Armor  
> BàiHát Rồng – Dragon Song  
> ÁnhSángCủa Rồng – Light of the Dragon  
> BóngCủa Rồng – Shadow Dragon


	2. It's Not Easy Being Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally my plan was to publish this whole story during last month, but I realized it was kind of impossible. Instead of rushing things, I decided to take my time with it. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.

The bell rang and the students of Angel Grove High were free for the rest of the day. Among the masses of teenagers, Trini walked out of the school, seemingly rather distracted, her mind still thinking about the ordeal with Madam Woe, the mystery of Rita’s Wand that Zordon still hadn’t talked about, and about Kimberly as well. Her head was so full that she could hardly pay attention in her classes. Billy was going to be pretty mad.

As she walked, still lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear her friends calling her. They startled her a little when Zack tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Zack together with Jason and Billy. They seemed worried about her. Quite worried actually. She tried to smile to them, but they weren’t buying it.

“Hey guys.” Trini said trying to sound not worried. She wasn’t doing a good job, though.

 “Don’t ‘hey guys’ us, Trini,” Zack said crossing his arms. While he was still clearly worried, he was also upset. “We still haven’t talked about, you know, that.”

“You’ve been avoiding us for the last two days.” Jason said honestly, which made Trini look at her feet uncomfortably.

“Well, what is there to say really?’ Trini asked them, sounding a little exhausted. Keeping a secret was slowly taking its toll on her.

“How about your crazy idea of going out on that storm?” Zack asked.

Trini sighed. She thought she had already explained that to them. “Look, Zack, you, of all people, should get why I did that.”

Zack gave her a look, closing his eyes briefly and sighing. “I know **why** you did it. What I’m saying is that it wasn’t safe. Heck, you are always the one who is telling me not be a hero!”

“That is when it comes to the Monsters from space attacking us!” Trini said. She felt bad because the storm **was** a Monster’s fault.

“Risking your life in a storm that actually killed a few people isn’t really easy to excuse, Trin.” Jason reminded her.

She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her head with her hand before letting it slide through her long black hair. People had died during the storm. Not only the people who Madam Woe had kidnapped, who were now officially missing but also a small number of people had died because of the storm itself. It only made her feel worse.

“Ok, I admit it,” Trini said to the two. “It was wrong of me to do that, and, well, I really wasn’t thinking straight, but…”

“But what?” Zack asked.

She leaned close so only the four could hear and moved her eyes between Zack and Jason. “You would do the exact same thing if it were one of you out there. Don’t even try to deny it. You know it’s true.”

Zack and Jason exchanged somewhat guilty looks with each other. She was right. They couldn’t deny it.

“Still,” Billy finally spoke. “It was a very imprudent and perilous course of action to take. You are quite aware of that, Trini.”

She nodded while Billy turned to the other two. “And I truly understand you two would do the exact same thing, but you all need to think of your own lives as well. I know it is a horrible idea when it comes to losing someone you care so deeply about, but think of the other people and how they would feel if something happened to you.”

The three looked among themselves, a little ashamed and nodded, agreeing with Billy. The bespectacled boy seemed somewhat perturbed about what he said, but he also crossed his arms, something he clearly picked up from Zack and turned to Trini, his face now completely serious.

“We promise we’ll be way more careful,” Trini said looking at Billy’s face and turned her head to others. “Right guys?”

Both nodded.

“Absolutely.” Zack affirmed.

“Totally, man. We’ll be responsible.” Jason reassured him.

“Good,” He gave the two a short nod and returned to look at Trini with his serious face. “You and I still have unfinished business.”

Unfinished business? What was he…? Then she winced. “Right.”

“What are you talking about?” Jason asked curiously.

“Trini has been slipping with her studies,” Billy said seriously. It wasn’t a secret, at least not to the four of them. “We have scheduled studying sessions, but she has not attended them.”

“Trini,” Zack gave her a confused look. “This isn’t really like you.”

“Everything alright at home?” Jason asked worriedly.

Trini gave the muscular boy a small smile. “Yeah, everything is fine at home, I’ve just been-”

“Busy.” Both Zack and Billy said at the same time. This time she was able to hold in her wince.

“Yeah.” She said simply, which none of them bought.

“Trini,” Billy’s voice changed its tone. “I am-we are your friends. If something wrong is happening, please, communicate with us.”

Trini nodded. She wanted to, more than anything in the world! She simply couldn’t.

“Hey guys!” A sweet voice approached them. They saw Kimberly walking towards them with a beautiful smile. “How is everyone?”

“Good!” Jason answered quickly with a smile.

“Great.” Zack nodded and smiled too.

“I am doing quite well, thanks.” Billy said.

“Wonderful!” She smiled at the boys and then turned to Trini. “Hey, did you forget to call me or did you lose my number?”

Trini resisted the urge to have any reaction or even look at the boys but gave Kim an apologetic smile. “No, I didn’t. I was, actually, I am going to call you.”

“Well, too late!” Kim said seriously, which almost made Trini’s heart stop, but right after she linked her arms with the other girl. “Since you didn’t schedule anything, I just went ahead and scheduled it for us. Is that a problem?”

Trini sighed in relief internally. “No-no, not all.”

“Awesome!” She smiled again. “So this afternoon we’re going to the mall and spend the afternoon there!”

Zack and Jason tried their best to hide their smiles, but Billy was giving Trini a look of disbelief. Trini shrugged one of her shoulders, hoping her friend would understand.

“Oh!” She turned to the other three. “I would totally invite you all to come with us, but it’s going to be just girl stuff, you know?”

All three nodded.

“But!” She said as an idea came to her. “What about you meet us there before nightfall, like during the evening, so we can all grab a bite? What do you think?”

Trini didn’t know how to respond to that and looked at her friends. Jason and Zack did their exchange of glances while Billy turned his head away.

“I apologize, but I have my studies to get to,” Billy said to Kimberly and faced Trini. “As well as Trini does, but I hope you enjoy your afternoon. Bye.”

He waved at all of them and walked away, making Kimberly look at him questioningly.

“Don’t mind Billy,” Zack told Kim. “He’s not the most social person.”

“Oh,” Kim simply nodded. “What about you two? We’re going to the mall downtown if you want to join us later.”

Jason was the first one to answer. “I would, but I have a lot of classes to teach during the afternoon, and then I just go home. Sorry.”

“Right!” Kimberly snapped her fingers. “Jason’s famous karate lessons. I just didn’t know you had them almost every single day. Wow, I’m impressed.”

Jason laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess they are becoming more popular.”

“They sure are,” Zack smirked at him and playfully bumped into him. “As for me, I have some family stuff to deal with. Also, I’m already starting to think about the organization of my Halloween party.”

“Already?” Trini asked. “You know Halloween is only at the end of the month, right?”

“I know,” Zack smiled. “But you know how my Halloween parties are. I need to prepare them pretty early.”

“I hear they are really great!” Kim commented.

“Well,” Zack gave Trini a very quick wink. “You’ll see it. You are invited, of course.”

“Really?” Kim was actually surprised. “I thought you only invited people you knew.”

“Well, you’re Trini’s friend now, so I’ll get to know you, right?” Zack asked with a smile.

“Sure! Of course!” She gave Trini a smile before facing him again. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing, really,” Zack waved his hands. “And thank you for the invitation. Sorry we can’t make it, though.”

“But we should definitely reschedule and do something together,” Jason said and turned to Zack. “Right?”

“Absolutely.” He smiled at Jason and looked at his watch. “Well, time to go. Hope you girls have a great time. Bye!”

“Bye Trini! Bye Kimberly!” Jason waved and smiled, leaving together with Zack.

The two girls watched them go. Trini smiled and looked at Kimberly, who was watching the two with an interested expression. She had her head tilted as if she was thinking of something.

“They are quite handsome,” Kim commented. “Not just Jason and Zack, but Billy too.”

“You think?’ Trini asked. Of course she knew her friends were attractive. She just never looked at them like that.

“Well, Billy totally needs a makeover. Those clothes and glasses are so not helping him! He’s clearly a handsome guy!” Kim commented as they began walking, their arms still linked, which made Trini happy.

“Billy doesn’t really care about that sort of stuff.’ Trini explained.

Kim nodded. “I just hope he’s not upset with me. Did you two had something to do together this afternoon?”

“No!” Trini answered quickly. “No, not really. Billy is just… worried that I’m not focusing on my studies as well as I should.”

The other girl just nodded, not wanting to pry. “He’s a good friend.”

“He really is.” Trini agreed.

“Jason has a really awesome sense of fashion.” Kimberly commented almost out of nowhere.

“Really?” Trini asked, making a funny face. “You think so?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Kim said. “He has great taste in clothes! You never noticed that?”

Trini shook her head. “Fashion isn’t really my strongest area.”

Kimberly giggled. “Don’t worry, I can teach you. Seriously, though, he dresses pretty well. I guess I should invite him one day to go shopping with me.”

Trini laughed a little, trying to imagine the scene.

“Zack is also very nice,” Kim said. “I never talked to him that much, but people say he’s quite funny and friendly.”

“That he definitely is.” Trini agreed with a nod.

“He and Jason are quite close.” Kimberly commented.

Trini raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, they are best friends.”

“They seem to be quite best friends then.” Kimberly had a very small smirk in her face.

Before Trini could say something about that, Kimberly unlinked their arms and turned to face her with a smile. “My uncle is going to pick me up at the other side of the school.”

“Oh, okay.” Trini nodded. She stopped herself from rubbing the spot on her arm where Kim’s arm had been.

“So,” Kimberly clapped her hands together. “We meet at the main entrance at 5, is that okay?”

“Definitely.” Trini smiled.

“Fantastic!” Kim smiled and gave Trini a quick hug. “I see you later then. Bye!”

“Bye!” Trini said more enthusiastically than she could help it.

Kimberly waved to her and turned around, walking away. Trini watched her go. She briefly caressed her arm that Kim linked with hers. She was so amazed at how sweet the girl was by inviting the guys to come along, but she was also a little selfishly happy that they turned down the offer. She really wanted to spend time with Kimberly, just the two of them. Yet, she couldn’t help feeling guilty because of Billy. It was quite clear that he was upset with her and he had all the right to be. Which only made **her** feel upset as well.

She sighed. She slowly started walking towards home, thinking that she need to put her life in order.

\--

Alpha 05 kept itself quite busy the last two days. The red gem Trini was able to salvage was an old relic, most certainly with great powers embedded in it but the robot found it quite strange that after hundreds of different tests, the results always came to the same conclusion: it was dead. No powers inside, nothing.

“Same as the last one?” Zordon asked. He had watched the test that Alpha ran on the gem before.

“Unfortunately,” Alpha sounded defeated. “I don’t understand Zordon. This gem, well, at least its twin was so powerful and Madam Woe went through the trouble to hide it but still… there is nothing in it.”

“Trini explained to us that it helped her stop the blue gem from working.” Zordon reminded the robot.

“That’s true,” Alpha said still looking at the gem in its hand. “I suppose that whatever it did to the blue one it also suffered the same fate.”

“By leaving the blue gem powerless, it also became powerless.” Zordon theorized.

“That is the logical answer, I suppose,” Alpha set the gem aside. It would go in a safe, even if it didn’t have any powers. “A shame, really. Trini could use another weapon to fight Rita.”

“Trini has shown time after time that she is able to handle Rita on her own.” Zordon said quite proudly of his protégé.

“I’m not saying she isn’t doing a fantastic job,” Alpha explained. “All I am saying is that Rita is showing signs that her powers are growing.”

Zordon’s lip turned into a thin line. “Yes. That is true.”

“While I doubt that she is going to summon another Monster anytime soon, it’s clear that she is trying to change her tactics. You saw the Wand and-”

“I am aware of how daring the situation is becoming, Alpha 05.” Zordon said with a more serious tone.

“When are you going to tell her?” Alpha insisted and asked. “She needs to know.”

Zordon remained silent.

“I am not saying you should tell her everything at once,” Alpha explained, trying to ease the subject into Zordon’s mind. “At least tell her what the Wand can do. If Rita is so close to using it, you know what that means and what Trini needs to do.”

Zordon closed his eyes momentarily. The robot was right. Rita’s powers grew as the days passed, and he had no doubts she soon would have access to the extra abilities of her Wand.

“Soon,” Zordon said. “I will tell her soon.”

“Let’s just hope it’s before anything bad happens.” Alpha 05 wished.

\--

Rita watched her followers prepare the vials of the dark foam from Madam Woe’s dimension as they carefully put them in a container meant to travel with them. After all, soon they would all be traveling down to Earth to put her plan in motion. As Baboo, Squatt, and Finster finished the preparations, Goldar approached her.

“We are almost ready, my majesty.” Goldar informed her.

“Excellent,” She smirked wickedly. “Once all is set, we will go. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Goldar nodded. He understood how restless she was ever since Madam Woe failed. She wanted her next move to happen as fast as possible.

“What about the remains of the Sapphire Pond?” Goldar couldn’t help his curiosity. If she had asked it to be saved, it meant she had plans for it but she wasn’t going to use it now apparently.

She turned to face him, giving him an enigmatic smile. “That, Goldar, is being saved for a very important occasion. For now, focus on the job at hand.”

“Yes, my majesty.” He bowed as she moved away, wondering what exactly was this special occasion.

\--

Trini looked at the mirror, checking the outfit she was wearing. She looked at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out if she looked good. She never worried about this sort of thing, but she was going out with Kimberly. Well, not going out like that, but they were going to hang out and she really wanted to make a good impression.

“You are overthinking, you know.” A male voice commented from behind her.

She turned around to look at Jason, sitting on her bed and watching her look at herself in the mirror. He had an amused smile on his face.

“Sorry if picking clothes is not really my specialty.’ Trini said defensively.

“Why are you so worried?” He asked. “You told Zack and me that this isn’t, you know, an official date.”

“It isn’t,” She confirmed. “But it still a day out with her.”

“You want to impress her.” Jason said smugly.

“Is it that obvious?” She didn’t deny Jason’s statement.

“Look,” He got up and stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulder. Both were looking at each other in the mirror. “Just be yourself. What better way to impress her than being Trini Kwan?”

Trini smiled and rolled her eyes. “You are so cheesy.”

Jason laughed a little. “Zack says it’s cute.”

Trini raised an eyebrow and Jason flushed, turning away from the mirror. “I bet he does.”

Jason went back to sit on the bed, his face still flushed. “You still haven’t told me why you invited me over to help you pick an outfit.”

Trini turned away from the mirror as well and shrugged. “It was something that Kimberly said actually.”

Jason tilted his in curiosity. “What did she say?”

“She said you have a good taste in fashion.” Trini said with a smile.

Jason lowered his head, smiling a bit.

“What?” Trini asked.

“Hum, Zack said that to me before too.” He commented quietly.

Trini laughed and went to sit next to him. “You two are so adorable together, you know?”

Jason flushed a bit more but smiled thankfully at Trini.

“Sometimes,” Trini looked at her own hands. “I wish I had something like you two have.”

Jason put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey. You are a great girl, Trini. I’m sure you will find someone that makes you feel…”

“Makes me feel what?” She asked him.

“Like Zack makes me feel,” He smiled sheepishly. “It’s kind of hard to explain.”

Trini smiled. “I can only imagine.”

“And hey. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be lucky with Kimberly.” He reassured her.

She sighed. “Do you really think so?”

“Nothing is impossible,” He told her. “After all, Zack and I found each other during high school. I doubt that happens a lot.”

“That’s very true.” Trini agreed. Definitely not something easy to do at this day and age.

“Now,” He got up and pulled her up with his hands. “Since I’m supposed to have this great sense of fashion, let’s find something you can wear that will definitely make an impression on Ms. Hart.”

Trini laughed and let Jason lead her to her closet. After almost half an hour, they found something that was stunning but still was Trini. She checked herself in the mirror and Jason gave her both thumbs up. Maybe she would be lucky like her two friends. After all, stranger things had happened to her.

Both friends walked down the stairs to leave the house at same moment Trini’s mom arrived home. She looked at the two with a smile on her face and approached them, paying close attention to what they were wearing.

“Well,” Mrs. Kwan began. “It’s so good to see you, Jason.”

“It’s good to see you too, ma’am.” Jason said politely.

“I see you are all dressed up.” She commented. Trini held her urge to roll her eyes.

“Oh, this?” Jason looked at his own clothes. “This is nothing really.”

“Well, you look quite well dressed,” Mrs. Kwan turned to Trini. “You too.”

“Thanks, mom.” Trini gave her a small smile. It wasn’t like her mother didn’t compliment her, but she had a feeling what this was all about.

“So,” She looked at the two with a very different kind of look. “Are you two going on date?”

Jason coughed while Trini sighed loudly.

“What?” Mrs. Kwan asked honestly confused.

“Jason isn’t taking me on a date, mom!” Trini said in a tone to make it clear. “He just dropped by, you know, like **friends** do.”

“I should go,” Jason said somewhat trying his best to hide his uncomfortableness. “I have my…”

“Training.” Trini finished for him.

“Right,” Jason agreed by nodding. “My training. Well, Mrs. Kwan, it was really nice to see you. Bye Trini.”

He shook hands with Mrs. Kwan and waved at Trini before leaving the house.

“You know,” Mrs. Kwan commented after turning from watching Jason leaving to face her daughter. “You should really give him a chance.”

“Mother!” Trini made a disgusted face. “He is my friend! Like Zack and Billy. I don’t see you saying anything about me dating them.”

“Jason is handsome,” Mrs. Kwan said as if that should mean something to Trini. “You should give him a chance.”

“Jason is my friend, mom.” Trini said trying to end the conversation, grabbed a purse, and started to head out.

“And where are you going so dressed up?” Mrs. Kwan asked innocently curious.

“Oh,” Trini stopped to look at herself. “I’m just going to meet a… friend at the mall.”

“Zack? Billy?” Mrs. Kwan asked.

“No,” Trini said which made Mrs. Kwan frown. “I’m actually meeting another friend. A girl. Her name is Kimberly. She goes to Angel Grove High.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Kwan seemed happily surprised. “A female friend? Trini why didn’t you tell me before you-”

“Mom, come on,” Trini cut her off. “It’s not a big deal. She just wants to do some shopping at the mall. Nothing major.”

“You are going shopping?” Mrs. Kwan asked truly surprised. “You don’t like shopping.”

“I know, but I really want to be friends with her.” Trini confessed.

“Oh, Trini,” Mrs. Kwan gave her a daughter a quick hug. “It’s so good to see you having new friends and a girl as a friend, moreover. The last ones weren’t exactly-”

“I know.” Trini cut her off more strictly this time. She checked the clock on one of the walls. “Mom, I have to go, OK? I don’t want to be late.”

She left the house only to hear her mother wishing her a good day at the mall with a very happy voice.

\--

Rita and crew teleported down to Earth to a place they had never been to. According to their research, this was the planet’s biggest graveyard and it was here that Rita was going to find someone that would help her achieve one of her goals. They started walking through the city and maze-like gigantic cemetery, with Rita in the front.

“What is the place called again?” Baboo asked.

“It gives me the creeps!” Squatt commented.

“It’s called Wadi Al-Salaam by the Earth people,” Finster explained. “It’s located quite far away from Angel Grove.”

“So that means Zordon and his pesky Ranger won’t find us here?” Squatt asked hopefully.

Finster thought about it. “I wouldn’t say it would be impossible…”

As the two kept talking, Baboo approached Goldar. “Do you know what exactly are we doing here?”

Goldar grunted but turned to him anyway. “She is looking for someone or… something that will help her deal with that blasted Green Ranger.”

“Why did we have to bring the foam of Madam Woe’s victims?” Squatt asked, butting in on their conversation.

“She has a use for it, what do you think?” Goldar answered crossly.

“Most definitely it has something to do with the vital forces that were acquired by the people that went into the Pond,” Finster theorized. “Although, it makes me curious about why she is saving the reserves of the Sapphire Pond itself and not using it as well.”

“Will you all remain quiet?” Rita yelled. “I might have this very old map that indicates the tomb I want to find, but with all of your jabbering, I can’t focus!”

All of them murmured their apologies.

“Now,” She whispered to herself. “Where are you?”

\--

Trini arrived at one of the main entrances of Angel Grove Downtown Mall. She looked around and then at her watch. She was a bit earlier than she expected she would be, so Kimberly wouldn’t be here so soon. Instead of waiting outside, she decided to just go in and wait for her in one of the entrance benches that faced the entrance. Whenever the other girl arrived, she would see her.

As she sat there, both her mind and her heart started to race. She still couldn’t believe she was going out with Kimberly Hart. Maybe it wasn’t an actual date, but still. She never thought this would happen. Then again… being the only one person in the world stopping an evil space sorceress from achieving world domination wasn’t exactly on her to-do list.

“Trini?” The girl turned around to see who was calling her. It wasn’t Kim, but the voice wasn’t unfamiliar. She looked around the crowd before she spotted the person who had called her and she felt her blood turning cold.

“Hi,” Trini tried her best to sound unaffected by her presence. “How are you, Tina?”

“Getting by, as you know,” She sat next to Trini without the girl even inviting her. She dressed, as what some people would describe as a punk, with fingerless gloves, black pants and boots, and chains in her belt. The only things that were somewhat out of place were her dark yellow shirt and her traditional black beret. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Just,” Talking to her wasn’t really the easiest thing. “Waiting for a friend.”

“A friend, huh?” Her tone was almost… accusatory.

“Yeah, we’re just going to hang out.” Trini explained, not wanting to give too much information.

“I see,” Tina nodded, her eyes never avoiding Trini’s. “It’s been quite a while, right?”

Trini almost frowned at the complete change of subject, but she wasn’t going to fall for that. She knew Tina’s game pretty well. “You know why.”

Tina just kept looking at her, tilting her head and giving her a sharp smile. “Of course. Well, I gotta go. I’m meeting the rest of the gang. I would invite you-”

“I already have plans.” Trini said quickly.

“So you do,” Tina got up and started walking away before turning to Trini one last time. “I’ll tell everyone I saw you. They will love to know you’re doing so… well.”

She walked away, leaving with an almost completely ruined mood. Of all the days, why did it have to be **today** that she would bump into her, of all people?

“Trini!” This time she recognized the voice.

Trini got up with a smile to greet Kim who gave her hug. The petite girl liked hugs, but it still took Trini by surprise. The two ended their hug and Kim gave her a bright smile. She was dressed completely stunningly, as always.

“Who was that?” Kimberly asked innocently.

“Who?’ Kimberly distracted Trini so much that she wasn’t paying too much attention.

“That girl you were talking to,” Kim explained. “The one in all black except for the yellow shirt.”

“Oh,” So Kimberly had seen the two talking. “That was… an old friend.”

“Oh, okay,” Kimberly nodded. “I think I’ve recognized her from school but she is always hanging out with three other dudes and a chick. They look like a gang if you ask me.”

“Worse than Bulk and Skull?” Trini tried to take the talk somewhere else.

“Way worse!” Kim said. “I know those two used to be bullies, but they are way better now. As for those five, I think they are bad news.”

Trini said nothing. She didn’t agree or disagreed. She simply kept quiet. She sighed quickly before giving Kim a smile. “So, are you ready for our shopping spree?”

Kim squealed, which Trini couldn’t help to find it adorable. “Totally! Let’s go!”

She once again linked arms with Trini and the started walking to their destination: shopping.

“By the way, you look great!” Kimberly commented.

Trini tried her best not to blush. “Thanks.” Silently, she also thanked Jason.

They spent a long time going from stores to stores, trying out every kind of things. From clothes to shoes, from jewelry to hats. Trini really wasn’t used to doing this, but Kim definitely made it quite fun. From time to time, she would explain something about a certain label with an interesting knowledge and Trini would just nod. They had already spent more than an hour shopping when Trini couldn’t wait any longer.

“Kim?” They were looking at some necklaces in a department store.

“Yeah?” Kimberly asked with her eyes still on the many necklaces displayed in front of her.

Trini took a few steps to get closer to her. “You told me you had a gossip that you wanted to tell me.”

Kim turned to her, no longer looking at the necklaces. “Right. About… you know.”

Trini simply nodded.

“Well,” Kimberly looked around the store. It wasn’t completely empty, but there were some people in it. “Let’s look for a better spot to talk about it, okay?”

Trini nodded and followed her. Her heart was beating way too fast. If she really did know the Green Power Ranger was a girl, did that mean she knew…? No. That was impossible. The Cloaking was still protecting her. Even though her Ranger Armor Suit was about to disappear… No, there was no way. Period. Hopefully.

They both went to a part outside of the mall that had some places to sit and a view of some of the city and a part of one of the parking lots. They noticed there was no one there, so they chose a seat far from the doors of the mall. Trini kept looking at Kimberly as both girls sat, with the latter looking at the horizon.

“I didn’t tell you the whole story,” Kim confessed. “About how I know the Green Ranger is a girl.”

Trini simply heard. She knew what she was talking about. She had the entire experience with Madam Woe at her pocket dimension, almost becoming part of that liquid of the pond and even fighting against the Monster. Which was exactly what she told Trini. To keep appearances, Trini did her best job as an actress to act surprised.

“So,” Trini said after Kimberly finished her story. “You actually helped the Green Power Ranger defeat a Monster?”

Kim laughed. “No, I don’t think so. She did most of the work. I just followed her orders. In the end, she was the one who defeated the Monster for good.”

“But you helped,” Trini said. “I’m sure the Green Ranger really appreciated your help.”

“I hope she did.” Kimberly said wistfully.

“You still haven’t told me what makes you think the Green Ranger is a she.” Trini told her, trying to contain her expectations.

Kimberly sighed. “Well, you know how there is this rumor going around that some people believe the Green Ranger is actually a girl.”

Trini simply nodded.

“I never… really thought about it, you know?” Kimberly confessed. “I actually thought the Green Power Ranger was just, I don’t know, an alien that came to save us from that witch or whatever. What was under the clothes really didn’t pick my interest.”

“But something made you change your mind.” Trini said carefully.

Kimberly nodded. “After she finally defeated the Monster, I gave her the other gem. She thanked me, but I noticed something… different.”

“What?” Trini asked. She was really doing her hardest to keep her voice calm.

“Have you ever met the Green Ranger? As in person, I mean,” Kimberly asked. “I know some people have, but it was my first time.”

“Hum,” Trini needed to think fast. If she said no … that would let Kimberly realize she had never been in the same place as the Green Power Ranger but if she said yes … Kim could ask some question that would make Trini slip. “I’ve seen her, very few times, but never up close. Why?”

Kimberly hummed and Trini discretely exhaled. That was harder than she thought. She really hated lying.

“Well, you see,” Kimberly began to explain. “When the Green Ranger appeared in that other place, I couldn’t really… place her voice. Does that make sense?”

“You mean you didn’t know if it was a male or female voice?” Trini asked.

“Yeah,” Kimberly nodded. “Something like that. It was like… my ears and my head couldn’t process if it was a guy or a girl speaking.”

Trini just nodded. That was one of the effects of the Cloaking.

“But after the Monster finally went down,” Kimberly continued. “I ran up to help the Green Ranger and gave her the gem. That’s when I noticed something.”

“What?” Trini asked truly curious.

“The voice had… changed,” Kimberly said with a confused face. “Even as I say it to you, now, it sounds strange to me.”

“The voice had changed? How?” Trini asked while she thought about what could have really happened.

“Yeah,” Kimberly scratched the top of her head. “I realized that it wasn’t the same unisex voice from before. It sounded… feminine. I want to say that it was a female’s voice one hundred percent, but… I can’t for sure. It was different, though. It felt it was feminine to me.”

Trini just sat there listening. So the fact she almost de-morphed in front of Kimberly might have affected the Cloaking somehow.

Kimberly laughed a little. “I even thought I recognized her voice from somewhere.”

Trini froze. That was **not** good.

“But then I thought about it and,” Kimberly shook her head. “It must have been my imagination, you know? All the adrenaline must have gone up my head.”

Trini wanted to exhale in relief. The Cloaking had only left a small gap while she was about to de-morph, but it didn’t get broken. Good.

“Hey,” Trini put a hand on her shoulder. “You went through a lot, it’s okay. Plus, I also think the Green Ranger is a girl.”

“You do?” Kimberly asked surprised.

“Definitely,” Trini smiled.

Kimberly smiled back. “You are not just saying that to make me feel less crazy, are you?”

“Of course not!” Trini laughed. “And you are definitely not crazy.”

“Thanks, Trini.” Kimberly gave the other girl’s hand a squeeze, which made Trini blush slightly.

“You’re welcome.” Trini said back appreciating the fact that Kimberly’s hand was still on top of hers.

Both girls sat in silence appreciating the view. They could see some of Angel Grove from where they were. The weather was nice and the sky was pretty. Trini snuck a sideway glance at Kimberly and saw the girl looking at the city deep in thought.

“How long have you lived here?” Kimberly asked.

“Huh,” That almost caught Trini off-guard. “Since I was… around seven or eight.”

“That’s quite a long time,” Kimberly noted. “Where did you live before that?”

Trini looked away, not really ready to share that with Kimberly. Not that she didn’t want to, but…

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Kimberly apologized immediately. “I asked something I wasn’t supposed to, didn’t I?”

Trini shook her head and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I just…”

“You don’t want to talk about it,” Kimberly said. “I get it. I’m really sorry if I offended you or something like that.”

“You didn’t.” Trini wanted to say more, but she just couldn’t bring herself to.

“As you know, I only lived here since I moved with my dad right before I started high school.” Kimberly said smoothly changing the focus to her.

“You live only with your dad then?” Trini asked. She remembered that whenever there was some kind of event at school these past four years, a man she assumed was Kim’s father came to them.

Kimberly nodded. “Yeah. We moved here from Seattle.”

Trini nodded.

“You live with both of your parents, right?” Kimberly asked.

“Yes, I do,” Trini answered. “No siblings though but I do have two uncles and an aunt who live here, and a cousin.”

“I have a younger brother.” Kimberly said. Trini was surprised. She had never seen this brother.

“He doesn’t live here,” Kimberly answered Trini’s unasked question. “He lives back in Seattle with my mother.”

“Oh,” Trini said simply. “I see.”

“Yeah,” Kimberly looked at her shoes.

Trini wanted to say something, but she was afraid to say something wrong. Kimberly was clearly not in the mood to talk about family.

“So,” Trini said trying to sound a little cheerier. “Do you miss it there?”

Kimberly’s demeanor changed in a split second. “Are you kidding me? California is so much better. Rain doesn’t really agree with my outfits and my hair, you know?”

Both girls laughed.

“What about friends?” Trini asked.

Kimberly shrugged. “I had a few and we still exchange letters, but I moved a lot before I was in Seattle, you know. So not much time to make that many friends.”

Trini just nodded again. It was hard to picture a girl like Kimberly not having hundreds of friends.

“Also, no guys to worry about either,” Kimberly commented. “It would be so hard to find someone and then leave them behind, you know?”

“Can’t say I do really.” Trini answered honestly.

“Yeah,” Kimberly rested her head on one of her shoulders. “Relationships tend to be messy when you move around so much. Although I’ve been here longer than any other place.”

Trini noticed she didn’t go into detail. Zack had said she hadn’t a boyfriend ever since she moved here but how much that was true was up to debate.

“Ugh, look at us!” Kimberly made a funny disgusted face and got up. “Talking about boys. Let’s go back and shop some more.”

Trini gladly accepted her hand to help her get up and the two girls went back to the mall to resume their activities.

\--

Rita’s group had walked around the city-like cemetery for quite a while now and still no sign of what their Empress was looking for. She paid no attention to the others as she focused on her search.

“Are we even sure this is the right place?” Baboo whispered to Squatt and Finster. Goldar had decided to walk far from them, standing almost behind Rita.

“Of course we are,” Finster whispered back. “I made sure the calculations were all correct.”

“You better be very correct,” Squatt commented. “She is going to throw a fit if this isn’t the place.”

“It is.” Finster confirmed.

“Well, it sort of makes sense,” Baboo looked around. “Largest place to bury their dead would probably be the best place for her to look for something.”

“Goldar mentioned she might be looking for someone,” Squatt remembered. “What help can a corpse give her?”

The three wondered about the question as they kept walking more. After feeling like they were truly lost in a maze, they stopped in their tracks when Rita stood quietly looking around silently. She did that for a long time before Goldar carefully approached her.

“My majesty,” Goldar said cautiously not to disturb her. “Is everything-”

She began to laugh. Loudly. Her cackling echoed through the countless aisles of the graveyard. She turned to her followers with a manic grin on her face. “We are here!”

“Oh good!” Baboo clapped his hands together with Squatt.

“And where is here exactly?” Finster inquired.

“This tomb,” She pointed to a quite normal-looking tomb inside one of the walls. “This is what we want. Goldar!”

She didn’t need to tell him what he needed to do. Using his sword, Goldar thursted it in the wall and after quite of effort, he was able to take out a coffin from inside the tomb. Unlike the tomb that wouldn’t catch much attention, the same could not be said about the coffin. It had ornaments on it as several words, jewels, bones and smaller statues.

“Is this what you wanted, my majesty?” Goldar asked.

She kneeled next to it and ran her hands over the coffin. “This is exactly what I wanted. Now, we need to open it.”

“Open it?!” Both Baboo and Squatt asked at the same time, clearly worried about what could be inside.

“Of course we have to open it, you nitwits!” Rita said without looking at them.

“What about all of these on top of it?” Finster pointed to the many ornaments. “Don’t they mean there is some kind of protection?”

“Nothing I can’t solve it.” Rita said stand up and raising her Wand. The red orb in it glowed fiercely and rained a wave of energy over the coffin. Some of the ornaments reacted, but soon enough, all of them stopped.

“My majesty,” Goldar held her standing after she lost her balance. “You shouldn’t be using that much magick so soon.”

“It is worth it,” She said simply. “Now, you four, open it. Carefully. I don’t want to damage what’s inside.”

The four obeyed and thanks to Goldar doing most of the job, they took off the lid of the coffin. The inside of the coffin had almost the same quantity of the ornaments found outside of it. Plus, of course, the decaying skeleton dressed in ritual robes.

“A dead body.” Goldar noted.

“Yes,” Rita walked over to look at it. “Not just any dead body. Baboo, Squatt, get the container.”

The two got the container out and put it near Rita’s feet. She looked at it and then at the corpse. She raised her Wand lightly and began chanting with her eyes closed.

“I thought it wasn’t wise for to do any magick in her current state.” Finster commented lowly to Goldar.

“It isn’t,” Goldar sighed in frustration. “Let’s just trust that she knows what she is doing.”

After a few more words, the container with the dark foam rose from the ground and levitated on top of the corpse. The lid popped open and the container turned over, letting the liquid fall on the corpse. After the entire container was empty, it floated away and broke on the ground nearby.

Rita approached the open casket and looked at the skeleton. For a very quick moment, she feared it hadn’t worked, but then a dark blue light began emanating from inside the bones of the dead corpse. She smiled wickedly and stepped back, her followers doing the same.

They all looked at the ever-growing blue light coming from inside the coffin, waiting for what was going to happen next. After the glow stopped, silence took over for a second before an otherworldly scream came from inside the coffin. A hand, a skeleton hand made of bones, reached from inside and grabbed the edge of the coffin.

Baboo and Squatt whimpered as they took several more steps back. Finster stood where he was, his curiosity bigger than his sense of self-defense. Goldar had his sword ready, unaware what was going to come from the coffin. Rita, meanwhile, was smiling gleefully.

From the coffin, a skeleton emerged. A living skeleton with a dark robe that looked like a cape with the inside of it red. The once putrid and decayed bones were now gold-colored. The creature looked around to every direction until its face turned to the group standing there looking at it. It began speaking in a language that none of them could understand.

“What is it saying?” Baboo asked, clearly frightened.

“A little adjustment will clear that.” Rita pointed her Want to him and small flash emanated from it.

The skeleton, now confused with the flash, started looking at itself. The body made out of golden bones. It turned to Rita directly. “You awoke me.”

As the others remained where they were, still stunned, Rita approached it with a smile. “Yes, I did and I made sure we were able to communicate freely as well.”

“You are a mage.” The creature stated.

Rita seemed slightly offended by the title but didn’t show it. “I’m Rita Repulsa, daughter of Master Ville.”

The creature rose from the grave with a gracefulness none of them thought a walking skeleton would have. It stepped down of the coffin and kept looking at Rita. “I never heard of you. Nor this Master Ville. I take you are not a mage.”

Rita was about to answer when the skeleton continued.

“Mage or not,” The skeleton said. “You were able to perform impressive magick on bringing me back. May I inquire how was that you were able to accomplish that?”

“Vital forces turned into a magickal liquid brought you back.” She explained as she reached down to one of the pieces of the empty container and handed it to the skeleton who analyzed it.

“Most impressive.” It said and threw the piece away. It walked a little bit, looking at the other tombs. “I can only imagine the state I am in that a long time has passed.”

“More than I think you would like to now.” Rita advised him.

“Time…” The skeleton kept looking away. “No matter… I beat it. Well, with your help, of course, hum, Rita Repulsa. If you came here to help me specifically, you are aware of who I am.”

“Don’t you mean was?” Goldar asked.

The skeleton looked at him. “Not dead, not alive but I am still who I am.”

“Undead.” Finster concluded.

“I supposed that is a good terminology,” The skeleton wondered. “I am not a zombie, mind you all.”

“Then-then,” Squatt still stood far away. “What are you?”

“A necromancer.” He stated simply.

“A necromancer that is a skeleton?” Baboo asked seemingly interested.

“Truly not what I expected, but I was prepared.” The skeleton explained.

“So you are him.” Rita said. A small smile forming in her mouth.

“Who do you believe me to be?” The skeleton asked.

“You have many names,” Rita explained. “But I believe you are one that some call Koschei the Deathless.”

The skeleton emitted a terrifying sound that almost sounded like a laugh. “You are right about that being one of my names. The Deathless, as you can see.”

“You are alive again.” Golder reminded him.

“Undead.” Both Rita and the so-called Koschei corrected him.

“If you came to look for me,” Koschei began circling Rita. “It certainly means you want something from me.”

“You were once a powerful necromancer in this world,” Rita began. “You had followers and almost an army but… you wanted more power and once those who followed you found out about it, they turned against you.”

“They did,” Koschei confirmed. “That is the reason why I look like this.”

“They betrayed you.” Goldar stated.

“Cursed me, and many other unspeakable things, yes,” Koschei added. “Although, my fame as a necromancer isn’t why you are here, is it, Rita Repulsa?”

She immediately shook her head. “No. I might not be a Necromancer, but I have other ways to deal with bringing the dead back to ‘life’ as you can see.”

“I can surely see that,” Koschei agreed. “What are you looking for is more…”

“Power.” She said simply.

“Magickal power.” Koschei concluded.

“Yes!” She almost shouted. “I know you were able to contact a force from the Beyond.”

Koschei remained silent for a moment. “Yes, I was.”

“And it gave you more power for your magick.” Rita said.

“It did.” Koschei confirmed.

“I need you to teach me how to acquire this power.” Rita almost pleaded.

Koschei considered her for a second. “I am sorry Rita, but I cannot teach you how to acquire this power.”

“What do you mean?” Goldar asked already preparing his sword to attack. “My majesty brought you back!”

“Would you be able to control your dog?” Koschei asked as Rita just gave Goldar a look that made him step back. “I cannot teach you how to acquire the power, but I know who can teach you.”

Rita's eyes bulged. She knew pretty well what he was talking about. “The entity from the Beyond you made a bargain with.”

“Precisely.” Koschei said.

Rita debated with herself for a few moments before facing the skeleton again. “Teach me.”

“You must be warned, Rita Repulsa,” Koschei said in a grave voice. “The entity you will summon is not one lightly to deal with. Believe me.”

“I know the consequences of making deals with entities from the Beyond.” Rita assured him.

“Very well then,” Koschei reached inside its cavities in its chest and pulled an amulet with the symbol of a demonic skull on it. “This amulet is your first part to contact the entity.”

“First part?” She asked as she took the amulet in her hands.

“Patience you will need to have, Rita Repulsa,” Koschei explained. “The amulet will only bring you to second part once you have taken a sacrificed being of an object of magick that extracted their sacrifice. You cannot simply kill them. You will need to find an object like that. Do you believe you can?”

Rita nodded with a smug smile. “Collecting dangerous artifacts is my specialty. I have been doing it for over a million years.”

“Million years?” Koschei asked curiously. “I take you are a being from the stars then. Well, your group is not made up of easy specimen to find on this planet.”

“You are correct,” She kept the amulet safe. “And you? I believe you want a reward for giving me this amulet.”

“No reward,” Koschei answered honestly. “I would not be back if it wasn’t for you. I do believe I am in your debt.”

“Are you know?” Rita sounded interested.

“I will warn that I cannot help with the steps you need to take to contact the entity.” Koschei explained.

“I do need help with something else,” Rita explained. “You see, bringing you back made me use a lot magick, but the reaction the magick within you brought a lot more of attention.”

“Attention?” Koschei asked. “From whom?”

“My enemy, the Green Power Ranger,” Rita said. “She will come here and try to find the source of what happened.”

“And you want me to deal with her.” Koschei concluded.

“Yes,” Rita nodded. “My Monsters have not been effective against her lately, but I believe you can kill her without much effort.”

“It would be a pleasure of mine.” Koschei bowed to Rita.

“You will need to stay here,” Rita told him as she and the rest of her followers began to walk away. “She will be arriving soon.”

“I will be waiting for her.” Koschei declared with bone-chilling voice.

As the group stepped away, Goldar turned to Rita. “Do you think he is trustworthy?”

“I do.” Rita said simply, implying that she didn’t want to be questioned.

“How can a skeleton talk?” Squatt wondered.

“He reminded me of my brother,” Rita commented off-handily. “Much better speaking skills and better odor. I suppose not every walking skeleton can be the same.”

\--

Trini stood outside of the fitting room area waiting for Kimberly as she was trying on some clothes. She tried to convince Trini to do the same, but Trini wasn’t really interested in buying clothes. Spending time with Kimberly was good enough for her. She, of course, didn’t say that and just gave the excuse she wasn’t interested in anything from that particular store.

She sat on a chair, some bags around her, most of them Kimberly’s, but the other girl had managed to convince Trini to buy some stuff as well. Trini smiled to herself. This had been a great day so far. After Kim was finished, they were going to the food court to eat, meaning she was going to spend more time with the girl. Yeah, definitely a great day.

Then she heard the familiar sound coming from her wrist.

 _Of course._ She thought to herself.

She got up and looked around the store. It wasn’t packed, but she couldn’t answer Zordon right there. She made sure Kimberly was still going to take more time and walked around the store, looking for a more isolated place. She finally found an area where she could stay behind some clothes.

“This is Trini.” She answered her Communicator.

“Trini,” It was Zordon. “I need you to come to the Command Center. We have important matters to discuss.”

Trini sighed silently. Did this really need to happen now? “But Zordon, I thought Rita would be out of commission for a little while after using so much magick. I didn’t think she would be attacking so soon again.”

“You are right.” Zordon said making Trini frown in confusion.

“So,” Trini checked around again to see if no one was listening. “You aren’t contacting me about Rita?”

“I can’t say that for sure,” Zordon said, which only made Trini feel frustrated. “We do have another matter in our hands that need our attention.”

“I see,” Trini sighed. “Hum, well, I’ll be right there, okay? I’m a very crowded place with someone so I might take a while.”

“Understood,” Zordon said. “Be quick as possible, Trini.”

The line cut and Trini sighed. Zordon sometimes behaved like a boss to Trini. Well, she couldn’t really blame him. He wasn’t a human, meaning he behaved differently. Trini always wondered if all Eltarians were like him. She shook the thoughts away as she walked back to meet with Kimberly. What was she going to say? She hated that she needed to leave and bail on the rest of their day.

Kimberly was already out of the fitting room when Trini got back. “Where were you? Did you find anything nice?”

Trini shook her head. “No luck.”

“That’s too bad,” Kimberly commented as she gathered their bags. “I didn’t really like anything here, so let’s go. I’m starving.”

“Yeah,” Trini took some of the bags. “Let’s go.”

Trini felt like she had an elephant on her back as she walked towards the exit of the store. She really didn’t want to leave. If Zordon wasn’t sure it was Rita, why would he want to see her? Why not tell her what was going on from the start? Zordon was too mysterious sometimes. Now, she was going to need to come up with an excuse to leave Kimberly. She hated doing that.

“So,” Both girls left the store and began walking towards the food court. “What are you in the mood for? I never asked what you like to eat.”

“Hum,” Trini was trying to formulate the right sentence, but her brain wasn’t cooperating.

“Hey,” Kimberly stopped and looked at her worriedly. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Trini attempted a smile but sighed at her failure. “No, actually it isn’t.”

“Did something happen?” Kimberly asked.

“Something… came up,” Trini explained ashamedly. “I have to go.”

“Now?” Kimberly asked confused.

“Yeah, now.” Trini could tell by the look on Kimberly’s face that she was disappointed.

“Oh,” Kimberly said trying to hide her disappointment. “Well, if it’s an emergency, you should go.”

“I would not leave if it wasn’t,” Trini said seriously. “I promise.”

“It’s okay,” Kimberly nodded and smiled. “Go. We’ll talk later.”

“I’m really sorry, Kimberly,” Trini said. Kimberly was smiling, but it was obvious to Trini that she was really upset. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

Kimberly jokingly punched Trini’s arm. “You better.”

“I really have to go now.” Trini said apologetically as she began to slowly step away.

“It’s fine, Trini. Really,” Kimberly reassured the other girl.

Trini nodded and muttered thanks before turning around and almost running in the opposite direction.

“You owe me lunch!” Kim shouted. She kept holding her smile until Trini was out of sight. She let out a big sigh and her face fell. She turned around and slowly made her way to the food court alone.

\--

Trini, still with her own bags, ran to the parking lot, moving around the cars, far away from people as possible. She looked around and after seeing no one, she touched a button in her Communicator and teleported away to the Command Center.

Once she arrived there, she set aside her bags before going to where Alpha was standing near the consoles. Alpha looked curiously at the bags and at Trini, while the girl just walked up to the spot and faced Zordon.

“I’m here.” She said.

“Were you doing something?” Alpha asked curiously.

“Hum,” She turned to the robot and noticed it looking at the shopping bags. “Yeah, I was out with a friend.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Trini,” Zordon said with honesty. “The matter we have to discuss is not a lightly one, I am afraid.”

“It’s fine,” Trini waved a hand dismissively. She was at least glad Zordon sounded genuinely sorry. “You said that it wasn’t about Rita.”

“Actually, we are not sure.” Alpha explained.

“So, what is it then?” Trini asked crossing her arms.

“There has been a surge of magick from another part of the world,” Zordon explained. “We have been able to pinpoint to a place in the country of Iraq.”

“Iraq?” Trini was confused. “That is all the way in Asia. What could be causing this if it’s not Rita?”

“We are not sure, but the signals of magick emanating from there are different from Rita’s.” Zordon explained.

“But she still could have something to do with it.” Alpha said.

“Or it could be someone else,” Trini said thinking. “Do you think there could be, hum, I don’t know, a new enemy rising?”

Zordon seemed to consider this. “I highly doubt it, but a flood of this capacity is something definitely worth to investigate. If it is not by Rita’s hand, it is definitely something she would want to get her hands on it.”

“Right.” Trini agreed. “I guess I have to go there. Where is it, exactly?”

“It’s in a graveyard.” Alpha told her.

“A graveyard?” Trini raised an eyebrow. “There is a source of magick awakening in a graveyard?”

“According to the research I did it’s called Wadi Al-Salaam,” Alpha explained. “It seems to be the biggest graveyard here on Earth.”

“Oh, that sounds just peachy.” Trini said sarcastically.

“We will teleport you as close to the place emanating the signal as possible, Trini,” Zordon explained. “You should be morphed since we have no idea what we are dealing with.”

“Right,” Trini was about to reach for her Morpher when she remembered something. “Hum, Zordon?”

“Yes, Trini?”

“We still have to talk.” She reminded him.

“Talk?” Zordon clearly knew what she was talking about.

“Yeah,” Trini gave him a strange look. “Ever since the fight with Madam Woe, we haven’t talked. You know, about Rita’s Wand and what it was doing there. You told me we were going to talk about it.”

“I did,” Zordon confirmed. “And we are, but not now.”

“When then?” Trini asked somewhat unsatisfied. “You already told me it would be later.”

“I am aware of that, Trini,” Zordon said. “But we have a more important matter at hand now.”

Trini seemed to want to say something else but decided to let go. For now.

“Teleportation ready, Alpha?” She asked the robot who was looking at her and Zordon. Alpha almost jumped when she called its name.

“Right!” Alpha went to a console and pressed some buttons. “Everything ready, Trini.”

“Wish me luck,” She said before reaching for her Morpher. “ **It’s Morphin’ Time! Dragonzord!** ”

Now morphed, the Green Power Ranger teleported away in a streak of green light. Alpha looked at the spot she was standing before turning to Zordon. “She is starting to get tired of waiting.”

“Yes, I know,” Zordon admitted. “I cannot hold information from her any longer.”

\--

Somewhere else, aboard a boat offshore Angel Grove, Jason was spending some quality time with his cousin Jeremy. The younger boy was the son of Jason’s uncle who had passed away a couple of years ago. His mother, who was now dating Jason’s dad of all people, had suggested the two boys should spend time together. It wasn’t like Jason didn’t do that already with Jeremy, but he figured his ‘aunt’ wanted them to bond as brothers instead of cousins since it was pretty obvious what were her intentions with Jason’s father.

“Hey Jeremy,” Jason said as he approached his cousin who was fishing. “Enjoying the trip?”

“Totally!” The young blond teenager answered. “It was great for my mom to let us use this boat, right?”

“Yeah,” Jason smiled the best he could. “I just don’t get why you wanted so much to come on a fishing trip. Didn’t really picture you as the fisher type.”

Jeremy laughed. “You are not that wrong, Jase.”

“Then why are we here?” Jason asked. “Not that I don’t mind spending time with you, but I thought we could’ve been doing something else.”

“Well,” Jeremy began to fidget. “The truth is… First, do you promise not to be mad?”

“Hum,” Jason frowned. “I guess…”

“Great!” Jeremy ran inside the boat’s cabin and after a few minutes, he brought a small box. “This is why we are here.”

Jason looked at the box, but it was just a normal wooden box. “We came to the sea… because of a box?”

“No silly!” Jeremy laughed as he opened the box and took a very old piece of paper. “We came here because of this.”

“Jeremy,” Jason squeezed his eyes and laughed a little. “Are you telling me we can all the way here because you wanted to go treasure hunting?”

“Not just any treasure hunting, Jason!” Jeremy seemed really excited about this. “Remember before the beginning of summer when my mom took me to trip around some countries in Asia?”

Jason nodded. Of course, she did, she was rich after all.

“Well, there was this day where she took me to this excavation and it was super cool!” Jeremy said.

“Okay.” Jason patiently waited for him to continue.

“During the excavation, I actually found this!” He showed the piece of paper. “It was hidden there and I found it!”

“Wait,” Jason couldn’t believe this. “You are telling me that you found an ancient, historical piece of paper in an excavation and you brought it back with you here? Jeremy!”

“I know! I know!” Jeremy dropped the box and moved to show the paper to Jason better. “I wanted to give to the people, but something just told me I should keep it. Look at this and tell me this isn’t crazy.”

Jason rolled his eyes but looked at the paper. It looked like a very old map that showed the coast of Asia and what Jason believed to be the coast of North America. This was fine, even if it was an ancient map, but what immediately caught his attention was the fact that a very faint sign was glowing on the map. Almost as if someone had a very small light under it, but there wasn’t and the sign was stopped right next to the ocean close to Angel Grove.

“How,” Jason couldn’t believe it. “How is this possible?”

“That’s not even to the best part,” Jeremy told him. “When I found the map, it already had the glowing dot, but it was very far away, I think it was in the Indian Ocean or something, but then it started moving. Some time later, who appears here in Angel Grove, the place where the dot was moving towards to?”

“You think this has something to do with the Green Ranger and the woman she fights?” Jason asked.

“It has to be!” Jeremy said. “What if some sort of weapon that was left for the Green Ranger to use it and now it came back to place where the fights are happening?”

“Jeremy, that is a big jump of conclusion to make since-”

The conversation stopped when Jeremy’s hook line seemed to catch something. He turned to Jason with a big smile and ran to pull the line. Jason couldn’t believe. It couldn’t as well be what this weird map said… could it?

“Jason!” Jeremy shouted. “Give me some help! This thing is heavy! Definitely not a fish!”

When he started to help, Jason noticed it was definitely heavier than a fish. After a lot of effort, they were able to take the thing out of the ocean. What they saw really made both of their jaws drop. Jeremy’s out of excitement and Jason’s out of utter disbelief. It was a chest. A very old, strange looking chest.

Jeremy unhooked it and put on the floor so he and Jason could take a better look at it. The chest was quite big, but it didn’t look like one of those treasure chests one would see in a pirate movie. It seemed to be made of something that wasn’t exactly wood, but none of the boys could tell what material it was. Also, there were the strange writings on it around a circular opening.

“What did I tell you?” Jeremy said excitedly. He took out the map and showed it to Jason. “See? It’s the same thing!”

“Okay, okay!” Jason tried to calm Jeremy down. “We have no idea what this… thing is. We should think what we should do with it.”

“Give it to the Green Ranger?” Jeremy asked as if it were the easiest thing to do.

“I think that would be the only person capable of dealing with this kind of things,” Jason nodded and got up. “I’m going to turn the boat around and we are going back to the harbor.”

Jeremy nodded and kept looking at the chest, mesmerized by it.

“And Jeremy.” He almost jumped out of his skin when Jason called him out of nowhere.

“What?” He asked with a hand over his heart.

“Don’t do anything with the chest.” Jason warned him.

\--

Back at the Moon Palace, Rita couldn’t believe her luck as she watched from her telescope. She laughed almost uncontrollably. The Fates were generous to her finally. She was so close she could almost taste it.

“What is it, my majesty?” Goldar asked as he stepped on the balcony.

She kept laughing even as she turned to him. “We won’t need to look for any artifact anymore!”

“What do you mean?” Goldar asked confused. Everyone was already trying to find a relic that would have the effects the skeleton said were necessary for Rita to activate the amulet.

“A couple of Earth kids happened to stumble into a very ancient piece of artifact,” She explained pointed at her telescope. “I didn’t even know it was on this planet, to be honest, but that only makes it easier!”

“This artifact they found, will it help us with what we need now?” Goldar asked.

“Of course it will!” Rita said wickedly gleefully. “The artifact is just what we need!”

“Then I will send the Putties to get it from the boys.” Goldar stated.

“Yes, you will,” Rita said. “But do not kill the boys.”

“No?’ Goldar asked confused. “If this artifact is what we need, wouldn’t sacrificing them be perfect?”

“It would,” Rita agreed. “But I don’t want them to be my sacrifices, so use them as bait.”

“Bait.” Goldar repeated trying to understand.

“Bait for the one I want to sacrifice,” Rita smiled evilly. “The Green Power Ranger.”

\--

The Green Power Ranger arrived at the place Alpha called Wadi Al-Salaam. She looked around at the ginormous graveyard. She wasn’t afraid of it, but she couldn’t help to be a little intimidated by the sheer size of it. She started walking. She knew that whatever the Command Center had picked up wasn’t far from where she arrived.

She was about to turn a corner when she heard a noise from behind her. She quickly turned around, her Dragon Dagger in hands, ready to attack but there was no one there. She kept standing there, seeing if she could sense anyone around her but the place seemed to be empty. The Green Ranger put her Dagger back in its holster and turned to go back her way when a punch sent her to the floor.

Looking up, she saw… a skeleton. Thing was, it wasn’t just a normal skeleton. All the white bones were there, but there seemed to be a black mass under them, giving it a body of sorts. The strange skeleton had a strange thin and red sword-like weapon in its hands, which it raised, ready to attack the Green Ranger.

“Okay,” The Green Ranger took out her Dragon Dagger once again. “Not exactly what I had in mind coming here, but then again, this is a cemetery.”

The skeleton lunged and the Green Ranger dove from its attack. She struck its back, cracking a few bones and even some of the black mass oozed out, but the skeleton remained up and strong. It turned around and began attacking the Green Ranger again.

She grabbed its wrist and twisted, throwing it over her and making it hit one of the near walls. The skeleton only stayed on the floor for a few minutes before it rose again. The Green Ranger couldn’t help to be surprised.

“You are quite strong for a bag of bones,” She said. “Well, a sort of bag of bones.”

The skeleton finally got a chance to hit the Ranger with its red sword. It cut the Ranger Armor Suit and produced some sparks from it, but it didn’t hurt too much. The Green Ranger responded with a strong kick to its head, sending it several feet back.

“Are you the one responsible for why I am here?” The Green Ranger asked. “Because if you are, we should just end this and I can go back home.”

The skeleton rose from the floor again. The Green Ranger sighed and prepared to deliver one of her attacks when she heard more noises. She looked up and almost twenty more of the same type of skeletons fell from the walls around her.

“Okay…” The Green Ranger started watching all of her opponents carefully. “I guess you are just the messengers then.”

All the skeletons started attacking at the same time. In the beginning, the Green Ranger had some trouble dealing with all of them, but she soon got the hang of it. Their weapons weren’t so strong against her, and while hers wasn’t that much either, it did injury them much more. Most of them already had cracked most of their bones, but the black mass was still there and they weren’t going down. She couldn’t lose times with these foot soldiers. She still needed to find the actual reason she was here as well why these things were walking around in the first place.

“Time for some evading maneuver.” She whispered to herself as she jumped over them and used some of their heads and shoulders to walk to the other side they were trying to corner her. She used her both feet to jump higher from the last one and twisted around in the air, landing in front of all of them.

“Sorry boys,” She took her Dragon Dagger to her mouth, played some notes in it and pointed it at them. “Party is over.”

The skeletons charged, unaware what the Green Power Ranger was doing.

“ **ÁnhSángCủa Rồng** ” The triangular light green energy beam shot from the Dragon Dagger, annihilating all of the skeletons, leaving nothing, not even traces of their bones behind.

The Green Ranger looked at where they were standing, trying to figure where they had come from. She heard a strange laugh echoing and turned her head into all directions, trying to find the source.

“Quite impressive, I must say.” The voice told her. She noticed it sounded vaguely male.

“Thanks,” She said carefully. “Not really used to fighting reanimated skeletons, but there a first time for everything.”

“Then let us see how you fare with me.” The Green Ranger took a step back when another skeleton jumped in front of her. This one was different, though. The bones were gold and somehow thicker. There was a black and red cape hung from its shoulder and there was a rapier on its hand.

“Can’t really say I ever fought something like you before either.” The Green Ranger said, already in a defensive stance.

“So, you are the Green Power Ranger,” The golden skeleton said. For some reason, his voice made the Ranger unnerved. “Well, I will be your opponent for tonight.”

“Will you really?” The Green Ranger asked.

“Well, your killer to be more precise.” It stated.

Before the Green Ranger could have a comeback, the skeleton lunged at her, cutting the front of the Ranger Armor Suit with its rapier. Unlike the red swords of the other skeletons, this one actually hurt and made damage. The Ranger balanced herself to not fall on the floor.

“You had so much fun with my raised,” The golden skeleton commented. “And I haven’t had fun in hundreds of years. Let us enjoy our fight to your death.”

He lunged again, but this time, the Green Ranger blocked the rapier with her Dagger and used one of her legs to kick the creature away. By the kick alone, she could feel that it was made of something far more resistant than simply bones. She crouched quickly as the skeleton threw the rapier at her head. She rolled away, trying to keep some distance from it.

“Such fire,” The skeleton commented. “It will not help you, though, I am afraid.”

The Green Ranger took this opportunity of her enemy gloating and she threw herself at him, making both fall on the floor. She tried to take away the rapier, but the skeleton grabbed her by the throat. His fingers began to choke her, almost piercing through her Ranger Armor Suit. The skeleton rose from the floor with the Ranger raised above him by its arm. The Dragon Dagger fell to the floor as she used both hands to try to pry away the fingers from her neck.

“Humans,” The skeleton commented. “No matter if you are covered in a magickal attire, you are still humans underneath. Just waiting for Death to come and take you. Not willing to make the sacrifices to escape it.”

The Green Ranger started to lose oxygen so she needed to think fast. She glanced at the skeleton’s other hand that had the rapier and hoped her plan would work. She used her leg to kick the hand up. Taken by surprise, he let go of the rapier, which flew a few inches above their heads. The Green Ranger quickly grabbed it and used it to slash at the skeleton, not really paying attention where she had hit.

It was enough for him to let go of her, though. She hit the floor, coughing and trying to recover her breath. With the rapier still in hand, she looked at the skeleton and was surprised at what she saw. She had slashed the head away. Only the body remained, but it was still moving as if it had a mind of its own. Not losing any time, she grabbed her Dragon Dagger back and stood up.

“Skeletons,” The Green Ranger said looking at the moving headless skeleton. “No matter how fancy you paint yourself, you are still a bunch of bones stacked up.”

She threw the rapier in the middle of its chest, making the body take a few steps back. She moved her arms around, summoning the Power of her Coin. With the Green Power energy ball in her hands, she delivered the final blow. “ **Ngọc Rồng!** ”

The energy ball exploded the remaining of the skeleton into several bones and the Green Ranger sighed in relief. She raised her wrist to her mouth, contacting the Command Center. “Zordon, I think I stopped whatever was causing the surge. You were right, it wasn’t Rita.”

“What was it?” Zordon asked.

“Are you okay?” Alpha asked almost at the same time worried. “You sound beat.”

“I almost was,” The Green Ranger said. “Can I debrief you all once I get back?”

“Of course.” Zordon said.

“Thanks.” The Green Ranger said relieved.

“We are teleporting you.” Alpha told her.

The green streak of light took her away before she could notice the bones on the ground started to move.

\--

The boat arrived at the harbor and Jason told Jeremy to be careful with the chest as the two started to leave the boat. Jason was still taking care of a few things and Jeremy sat as he waited for him. He put the chest in front of him and took out the map that led him to it. He looked at both and realized that the same inscriptions on the map matched the ones on the chest. They were a language the boy had never seen before, but for some reason, it wasn’t one he thought it was impossible to read it and something… wanted him to read them.

He looked at the inscriptions on the map and his mouth started to move, voice coming from inside of his throat. He couldn’t help. He just felt it was the right thing to do. The words flew out of his mouth as if they were his native tongue. The inscriptions on the chest around the opening began to glow. As faster Jeremy spoke, the brighter they glowed. He was almost shouting when Jason noticed what he was doing.

“Jeremy?” Jason ran up to him and noticed what he was doing. “Jeremy, stop!”

He shook the boy, but he kept speaking. Jason grabbed Jeremy’s head with his two hands and made him look at him. “Jeremy look at me! Stop this! Whatever is that you are doing, stop it!”

Even with his head turned away, the boy kept speaking the words. Jason was trying to think of something to do when a bright flash almost exploded from the chest, throwing the two a few feet away. Jason got up first and saw the chest open. He heard Jeremy groan by his side and helped him up.

“Ugh,” Jeremy looked lost and had a hand on his head. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Jason asked. “You started reading this strange language from the map and the chest started to react to it.”

“I did?” Jeremy asked confused. “I can’t really… It’s like my mind is fogged.”

“Well,” Jason started walking towards the opened chest. “Whatever you did, it opened it.”

Both boys looked inside the chest. The thing inside was circular. At each opposite end, there were ornaments that resembled human faces with horns. The middle of it was like a mouth of a fanged creature closed. Just the sight of it made Jason’s stomach sick.

“What the heck is that?” Jeremy asked disgustedly.

“I don’t know,” Jason grabbed Jeremy and took a few step backs, “But I highly doubt it is good news.”

“What do we do now then?” Jeremy asked disappointedly. He thought it could have been something to help the Green Ranger, but by the look of it…

Jason was about to answer when a group of Putties appeared almost as if they had fallen from the skies. Jason instinctively put himself in front of Jeremy and took a fighting stance. He never fought Putties before, but if they were here, it could only mean that thing inside the chest was **definitely** bad news.

\--

Trini arrived back at the Command Center, already taking off her helmet. Alpha came to her side, making sure everything was okay with the Ranger.

“What happened?” Zordon asked.

“I got there and some skeleton-like soldiers attacked me,” Trini began. “Then, after I got rid of them, this different type of skeleton, a gold colored one, appeared and fought me. It was hardcore, let me tell you.”

“A Monster?” Alpha questioned.

“Of Rita?” Trini shook her head. “I don’t think so but I could be wrong. The description, does it sound like any Monsters you know she could use?”

“I don’t recall any Monster that fits that description at the moment,” Zordon said. “What about the magickal surge. How did you stop it?”

“I… did?” Trini asked confused.

“The signal reading we were receiving from there stopped.” Alpha explained.

“Huh,” Trini said. “Then I guess the skeleton thing was the magickal surge then.”

“You destroyed it then.” Zordon assumed.

“It was hard, but I did it,” Trini massaged her neck. “It was quite strong. That’s why I don’t think it was a Rita’s Monster.”

“Strong as Madam Woe?” Alpha asked. “Or stronger?”

“No, just… different strong.” Trini didn’t really know how to explain.

“Well, as long as everything is solved-”

The alarms of the Command Center stopped Zordon midsentence. They all turned to the Viewing Globe to see Putties about to attack Jason and Jeremy. They also saw the strange artifact inside the chest.

“That’s Jason!” Trini said worriedly. “What are Putties doing going after him?”

“Something to do with that thing in the chest, most likely.” Alpha pointed out.

“What is that?” She asked Alpha and Zordon.

“It is not completely foreign to me,” Zordon said. “But I cannot completely recall what it is.”

“But if the Putties are there, it means Rita wants it.” Trini concluded.

“We’ll see what it is and tell you.” Alpha told her.

“Thanks, Alpha.” Trini moved away from the Viewing Globe and put her helmet back on.

“We will stay in contact Trini.” Zordon said.

She simply nodded. “Back to action!”

\--

While there weren’t many Putties, Jason was trying his best to keep them away from both Jeremy and the chest. For humanoid-looking creatures, they were tougher than they looked. Jason had delivered some punches to them, but whenever they hit him, it hurt. A lot.

He grabbed one from behind that was almost taking what was inside the chest and threw it into the water. Jeremy stood right next to Jason, looking very nervous.

“What are we going to do?” He asked his older cousin.

Jason thought about it. The Putties were still not giving up, but he knew they weren’t what they wanted. It was that thing. He thought about just throwing it in the ocean, but something told him that would be the worst idea ever. So he came up with a plan. After kicking a couple of Putties away from them, he turned to Jeremy and put both of his hand on his younger cousin’s shoulders.

“Listen to me, Jeremy.” Jason’s voice was serious. “I need you to take the chest and run into the woods, okay? Try your best to distract them. Can you do that?”

“I-I,” Jeremy closed his eyes and cleared his throat. “I can do that. What about you?”

“I will handle these creeps, okay?” Jason asked and Jeremy nodded. “Now go!”

Jason jumped on three Putties while Jeremy grabbed the chest and sprinted towards the woods by the harbor. One of the Putties tried to follow him, but Jason grabbed and threw him away at the dock with the rest of them. The Putty he had thrown into the water had come back. Great, now they were all pissed and he was the only thing between them and their goal.

“I’m not going to let you through.” Jason said through gritted teeth.

And the Putties charged. Jason prepared himself from the impact when a green light obfuscated his eyes for a brief moment and the Green Power Ranger was there. With quick and impressive moves, the Ranger dealt with most of them pretty quickly, making some of them disappear as they hit the floor. Some others, the Ranger simply kicked into the ocean just like Jason did.

“Are you okay?” The Green Ranger asked, turning to look at Jason.

Jason took a minute before nodding fervently. “Yeah, yes I am! They all came out of nowhere!”

“Yeah, they tend to do that,” The Green Ranger looked around. “Where are the other kid and the chest?”

Then it snapped in Jason’s head. “Jeremy! I told him to run with the chest into the woods so those things wouldn’t get it.

“Okay,” The Green Ranger nodded and started to move in the directions of the woods. “We need to find him. If he still has that, he is in great trouble.”

Jason only nodded and followed the Green Ranger’s lead.

\--

Jeremy ran as much as he legs allowed him. He didn’t dare to look behind him because if he saw those things, it could mean that Jason had… so he just kept running. He went through several different directions, trying to confuse any things that might have followed him. He kept going until he spotted what seemed to be a clearance. He sighed a little in relief and walked towards it. Once he turned around a tree, his eyes bulged as he noticed where he was. A cliff. He was standing on the top of a cliff.

“It seems that you are a daring situation, young one.” Jeremy turned to the direction the creepy voice was coming from to see the golden skeleton creature the Green Ranger had fought: Koschei.

“Wha-what are you?” Jeremy asked although he sort of figured it was one of the Monsters that had been invading Angel Grove.

“What I am is beyond your feeble human mind to conceive,” The creature started walking closer to him. “I am here to get that you have cradled in your shaking arms.”

Jeremy looked at the chest and then back the skeleton. “So you want this for, what’s her name, Rita?”

“Yes, Rita Repulsa wants it,” Koschei explained. “I am simply here to take it and deliver it to her.”

“Why-why should I give it to you?” Jeremy asked trying to summon every ounce of courage he had.

“Oh, silly child!” The skeleton laughed a horrible laughter. “You think you can take me and stop me from getting the artifact?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jeremy was really trying to be brave. “You are just a bunch of bones and I know karate.”

“Karate?” The creature asked curiously. “Is that some sort of magick?”

Jeremy frowned. “No-no. It’s a, hum, a type of martial arts.”

Once again, Koschei laughed. “You truly believe you can fight me when your savior in green couldn’t?”

 _The Green Ranger lost to this creep?_ Jeremy thought.

“Give the chest to me and I promise that Rita will take pity on your poor soul.” Koschei extended his skeletal hand.

“Jeremy!” Both turned to see the Green Ranger running up to him with Jason right behind you.

“Oh, Green Ranger.” Koschei said animatedly.

“You,” The Green Ranger had to use her arm to stop Jason from going any further. “I destroyed you.”

“Yet here I stand,” The creature said. “I think you need to find new powers and train more, Green Ranger. I heard this isn’t the first time you thought you destroyed an enemy only to be proven wrong.”

“Let him go!” Jason demanded.

“I am not holding him hostage, if that is what you are thinking,” Koschei said and looked at Jeremy. “I simply want what he has.”

“What is it?” The Green Ranger asked. “Why do you want it?”

“He wants it for Rita!” Jeremy shouted.

The Green Ranger tilted her head. “Wait, so you are a Monster from Rita.”

The skeleton laughed. “Oh no, I’m not a creation. Rita helped me to raise, so I am in debt to her.”

“You still haven’t told me what it is.” The Green Ranger said again.

“What makes you think I will?” The creature asked.

“It’s powerful, right?” Jeremy was the one who asked. All three turned their attentions to him. “If Rita send her things and another thing wants it, it has to be powerful.”

“Clever observation,” Koschei said. “For a small human.”

“Then you can’t have it!” Jeremy said as he threw the chest off the cliff into the rocks and ocean below.

Koschei made no sound but rushed at an impressive speed after it but before he went down the cliff, the skeleton creature made sure to grab Jeremy and take the boy down with him.

“No!” Jason screamed.

The Green Ranger ran and jumped off, hoping to the Power her plan would work. As fast as things were happening, she saw as both were getting closer and closer to the stones and she activated her teleportation, increasing her speed and taking Jeremy out of the creature’s arms, saving him while the creature shattered into bones at it hit the rocks.

The Green Ranger and Jeremy landed on the sand right next to stones. Both looked at the remaining of the skeleton creature and of the chest, but they were surprised to see the content of it intact on the sand.

“Are you okay?” The Green Ranger asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jeremy nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever skydive in my life, but I’m fine.”

The Green Ranger couldn’t help but laugh. She got up, looked at the strange circular object on the sand, and turned to Jeremy. “Is that what was inside the chest?”

Jeremy nodded.

The Green Ranger approached it, still waiting for any information about it from Zordon and Alpha but by just looking at it, she could tell it some kind of dark magick artifact, which meant she needed to keep it away from Rita. She stood right in front of it. She crouched and grabbed it. It was light and she could tell it could be open somehow.

BOOM.

Sparks exploded from her armored chest and she flew several feet away from the artifact. She tried to sit up with a hand on her chest to see the skeleton creature’s head flying above the artifact. From behind, she could see the rest of its bones coming towards where the head was.

“What the…” She whispered to herself.

“Not easy to get rid of me.” The creature said as the bones started to move by themselves and recreate a body so the head could fit on top of it.

“Green Ranger!” She heard Jeremy calling to her. Jason wasn’t still there.

“You need to run!” She told him. “Find Jas-find your friend and get as far as possible from here! I mean it!”

Jeremy nodded and sprinted away back to the woods. Hopefully, he and Jason would find each other. The Green Ranger finally stood up and faced the skeleton creature again. She really didn’t like the idea that it was apparently indestructible.

“Ready to give up?” The skeleton creature asked as it walked towards the Ranger. “Or does that go against your code of honor?”

“I don’t give up,” The Green Ranger said reaching for her Dragon Dagger. “Period.”

The two ran into each other at the same time, exchanging blows with their weapons. Any time a breach would present itself, they would physically try to harm the other, but none was backing down. The Ranger Armor Suit resisted very well, but the bones from the creature were also too strong. They would probably stay fighting for as long as they could. Problem was, Trini knew her Powers wouldn’t last forever. The skeleton on the other hand…

“Face it, Green Ranger,” The skeleton said mockingly. “You can’t defeat me. Even with your… Power, you are not strong enough.”

“We’ll see about that, bones!” She raised her Dragon Dagger to her lips and started playing a different set of tunes. “ **BàiHát Rồng!** ”

Green sound waves began to emit from the Dragon Dagger and hit the skeleton. The creature looked at it with fascination, but it did nothing to him. Her newest attack and nothing. It didn’t even stun the creature.

“A sound-based attack? Really?” Koschei laughed. “I am a walking skeleton, Ranger. No eardrums to affect.”

The Green Ranger rolled out of the slash from the skeleton’s rapier and stepped away from it. She was running out of options. Okay, maybe the sonic attack wasn’t the best idea, but she needed to try. She also knew already that her attack used to destroy Monsters didn’t work on it, but her other one had worked with the other skeletons… It was worth a try.

“ **ÁnhSángCủa Rồng!** ” The green energy hit the skeleton dead on and the Green Ranger held the attack as long as she could. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The only things that it affected were a perished cape and the rapier that began to smoke.

“Better than the last ones,” The skeleton said as it got rid of the rags of the cape and it threw away the rapier. “I won’t need them to kill you.”

Okay, this was bad, like **really** bad.

To make matters worse, she noticed from the corner of one her eyes Rita and her group teleporting right in front of the entrance of the woods. They weren’t doing anything, not even Goldar. They were just staring at her fight. She understood. Rita wanted to see her lose.

There was no reason to use her attack to reinforce her Shield as it wouldn’t help so she only had one other option left. She asked the Power to be by her side and let it work.

She took the Dragon Dagger in both her hands and started focusing as her Green Power Coin started to react. The fact that her entire Ranger Armor Suit began to glow actually seemed to stop the skeleton, who seemed interested in what was happening. Feeling the Power completely taking over her, she pointed the Dagger at the skeleton.

 _Please._ She thought. “ **BóngCủa Rồng!** ”

The dragon made out of dark green energy roared as it advanced towards the skeleton creature. Before it could move, the dragon hit it full on and exploded in a giant green cloud of smoke. Not always the same effect, she reminded herself, but she did it. She had to have done it.

She fell to her knees as she began to feel the Power leaving and the Ranger Armor Suit dissolving. She fell forward, using her hands to support her. She looked at them. The white gloves were gone and she could see her black hair from the corner of her eyes. She had de-morphed. She spent too much energy. She was glad she just didn’t pass out.

“Impressive.” She froze.

She slowly raised her head to see the skeleton’s head slowly floating towards her. No, no, no! That was impossible. That was her strongest attack! Nothing could have survived that. Nothing…

She heard Rita laugh.

“I told you, Green Ranger,” The head spoke. “Only if you had learned more about your Power.”

Trini began to crawl away, still on the floor. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t morph. She didn’t want to see where the explosion had been, afraid to see the bones also there. She kept crawling away from the incoming head. Was this it? Was this her end? If only…

“Trini!” Alpha’s voice basically exploded from her Communicator. “We found out what the artifact is!”

“Kill her now!” She heard Rita yelling.

“The artifact is called the Mirror of Destruction,” Zordon explained. “Once you open it, anything that is in front of it will have its life energy taken away.”

“But,” Trini winced. “That thing is already dead, isn’t it?”

“It’s still moving so it will work!” Alpha reassured.

“Trini, trust us!” Zordon said worriedly. “Use it now!”

Trini exhaled and forced herself to get up and run towards the so-called mirror. She ran as fast as she could, hearing blasts exploding behind her. Finally, one hit too close to her and it threw her off the ground. Luckily, she landed inches away from the mirror. Without thinking clearly, she grabbed it and turned to the incoming floating head.

“You think you can stop me?” The skeleton head asked.

“You tell me.” She opened the mirror and closed her eyes. She could fell a strange energy coming out of it once it opened and the screams that the skeleton had produced would probably never leave her mind. Once they ceased, she closed the mirror, and turned it around, putting it facing the sand.

“That Green Ranger!” Goldar had his sword in hands and was about to go attack her when Rita stopped him. “My majesty?”

“We came here today for another reason.” The clear sky suddenly turned pitch black. Rita raised the amulet above her head towards the skies. A sound like something was ripping the heavens apart echoed and blood red lighting came from above and struck the amulet, making it glow and hum.

Rita muttered a few words into the amulet and from the ground in front of her, a macabre altar grew almost like a horrifying tree. She smiled wickedly at her accomplishment, touching it gently with her fingertips before turning to a stunned Trini. “I won’t kill you **today** but this, this my dear, will be your downfall.”

Trini could only watch as Rita and the others left with their new acquisition. She fell with her back on the sand, looking at the sky beginning to clear. She was about to close her eyes when she felt the familiar tingling of teleportation taking her away.

\--

After getting some rest and a few boost of energy from the Morphin Grid itself, Trini was back on her feet. She still didn’t feel great but she no longer felt like a truck had hit her. She walked towards the consoles and where Zordon stood, ready to discuss this horrible day.

“How are you feeling?” Zordon asked genuinely worried.

“I’ve been better,” Trini said simply. She looked around. “Where is Alpha?”

“Putting the Mirror of Destruction in a vault where it can’t be used.” Zordon told her.

“How would something like that be here?” Trini asked.

“I cannot be sure. It most likely was brought here by someone or came here by accident.” Zordon explained.

“That happens a lot?” Trini asked not really wanting to deal with something like that again.

Zordon remained silent for a second. “Unfortunately, your world does have many dangerous artifacts and other… things.”

“That doesn’t sound vague at all,” Trini said and sighed. “What about that amulet and that altar Rita had?”

“I do not know, but-“

“You will research.” Trini said tiredly and angry.

“You are troubled.” Zordon said.

“Of course I’m troubled!” Trini shouted. “Zordon, today was the closest call I had ever since I became a Ranger and I’m not saying I wasn’t aware of that when I accepted your offer.”

“Then what is this about?” Zordon asked.

“You know what this is all about,” Trini told him seriously. “You keep secrets from me. You and Alpha. I know barely the essential for what I am doing or even about my enemy and don’t give me the speech about waiting for the right moment to tell me. You should’ve told me everything I need to now from the **start**.”

Zordon looked at her silently, his face unreadable, before he let out what Trini assumed was sigh and he closed his eyes for a moment.

“You are right.” He admitted.

“I am?” Trini didn’t expect that.

“I put the safety of the entire world in your hands and I didn’t tell you enough, no, I told almost nothing about it. Yet, you still became the Green Power Ranger.”

“Someone had to.” She said to herself.

“You are right. You have all the right to know,” Zordon said. “Everything.”

Trini now felt lightheaded. Wow, everything. That would be quite… a lot. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for the whole story, but there was one thing she needed to ask.

“The Wand,” She said. “The one Rita uses and the same one I presume fell from the moon while I was fighting Madam Woe. What is it?”

“It is Rita’s source of power,” Zordon began. “Of her magick. Not too different from your Power Coin, but it is different enough. When I sealed her away, she had used a great deal of her magick, which is one the reasons I was able to do it.”

“But you told me she was the one who took away your body and put you in a time-warp away from our dimension,” Trini recalled. “She did that with her magick, did she not?”

“She did,” Zordon confirmed. “With her very last ounce of it that I was a fool to believe she didn’t have it anymore. I still pay the price for that.”

“I am sorry.” Trini said.

“The Wand, as I said, is what gives her magick. However, being imprisoned for so long and at a moment she basically had no magick at all, ever since she was freed, she has been trying to find ways to recover her magick to her full state.”

“Maybe that’s what the altar and the amulet mean?” Trini guessed.

“Most likely,” Zordon said. “We are still trying to find information on who exactly is the skeleton creature you faced, but we know it had connections with Rita, meaning that she acquired those two artifacts because of it.”

“Okay,” Trini began to walk around the Command Center. “So her Wand is her source of magick and she wants to find a quick way to recharge it.”

“Precisely.” Zordon nodded.

“That still doesn’t explain why she threw it during my fight with Madam Woe,” Trini said. “It makes no sense. She has never done that. Was it to absorb something from our fight?”

“No.”

“Then why did she do it?” Trini asked.

Zordon once again ‘sighed’. “That maneuver is one that she used to do a long time ago before our fight came to your planet.”

“What does it do?” Trini wasn’t so sure she would like the answer.

“Her Wand has the ability not only to give ‘life’ to her Monsters and Putties but also to grant a new ability to her Monsters.”

“What new ability?” Trini asked.

“The Wand has the capacity to make her Monster grow.”

“Grow?” Trini was confused. “What do you mean grow?”

“The magick released from the Wand will make the Monster grow… into a giant.” Zordon said seriously.

Trini was pretty sure she couldn’t speak. “A-a… a giant?”

“Yes.” Zordon said simply.

“How, hum, how giant are we talking?” Trini was still trying to process it.

“It depends,” Zordon explained. “Usually they become bigger than your planets’ skyscrapers, but the size can vary with the amount of magick Rita has at her disposal.”

Trini felt like she was going to faint. “That’s why you wanted me to destroy Madam Woe so quickly. The Wand was there, so she wanted to make her grow.”

“Precisely.”

“Zordon,” Trini sound desperate. “What can I do if that happens? The last two… things she sent were stronger and I almost didn’t defeat them. How am I supposed to fight them if they are giants?”

“With your Zord.” Zordon explained.

“My… Zord?” Trini didn’t know what that meant.

“A gigantic machine built in order to face against Monsters with the ability to grow.” Zordon went on.

“Wait,” Trini raised a hand. “Are you telling me that there is one these… Zords for me and you never told me?”

“I hoped Rita would never reach her level of magick where it would become an issue.” Zordon said frankly.

“Well, now it’s a pretty big issue!” Trini shouted. “We don’t know what that altar and amulet can do. What if there are the things she needs to make her Monsters grow?”

“Then you will find your Zord.” Zordon said.

“Find my Zord?” Trini looked at him questioningly. “You mean… it’s not here?”

“No.” Zordon said somewhat sadly.

“Okay,” Trini ran a hand through her forehead. “Then where is it?”

“We have been looking for it, Alpha and me, ever since Rita was released.”

“And did you find it?” Trini asked hopefully.

“We narrowed down to some places,” Zordon confessed. “But there is no confirmed place yet.”

“Zordon…”

“I know what you are going to say, Trini,” Zordon stopped her. “I swear to you we will find the Zord as soon as possible. We won’t stop looking for it until we find it.”

“Okay.” Trini said, not really knowing what else to say.

“What other questions do you have?” Zordon asked, ready to answer her.

“Right now?” Trini turned her back to him. “None. I’m going home.”

She teleported out and Zordon was left alone with his thoughts. He had made some wrong decisions, but still, he believed them were for the best.

\--

The balcony of the Moon Palace was in complete silence except for the ancient and lost words spoken by Rita. In front of her, the altar given her by the sacrifice of Koschei stood. She wanted to have come from the Green Ranger’s sacrifice, but the important thing is that she was able to acquire it. The amulet given by him stood in front of a skull made of a white crystal on the altar. As her words continued, the altar reacted. It glowed, it hummed, it shook, and it smoked. Whatever she was doing, it was working.

From behind her, the rest of her followers watched her in silence, not daring to speak one word during the ritual. They all knew the importance of this. Contacting an entity from the Beyond wasn’t easy and if her magick not so strong, she needed all her focus and energy she could muster.

After actual hours of chanting, the altar stopped to react. Rita looked at it. Nothing in it had changed. She was about to begin the ritual again, thinking that maybe she did something wrong when she fell to the floor as the entire Moon Palace shook. The amulet levitated from the altar and seemed that reality itself swallowed it. The rest of the altar turned into a black charcoal-like material while the white crystal skull glowed from inside. Rita raised her head from the floor and saw two vortexes of red energy open in the holes of the skull.

A voice like no other any of those in the palace had heard before began to speak. While the others covered their ears, Rita paid attention to it. The voice itself wasn’t pronouncing any words she could understand, but her insides understood. She looked deep into the two red vortexes as the voice filled her entire being. Rita stood in front of the altar as she felt every inch of her body freezing and melting at the same time. After an eternity for Rita, but only minutes for the others, the vortexes closed and Rita fell to her hands, screaming in agony.

“My majesty!” Goldar rushed to her side with the others not too far behind.

“What happened?” Finster asked.

“It talked to me,” She said with a weak voice. “An entity, from the Beyond, I was able to contact it.”

“We didn’t hear anything.” Squatt said.

“The voice seemed like it was going to rip me apart.” Baboo commented.

“I was the only one who could hear it,” Rita explained. “It talked to me.”

“What did it say?’ Goldar asked.

“It will make a deal with me.” She said with a small smile forming on her lips.

“It will?” Baboo asked confused. “It didn’t make a deal with you now?”

“No,” She shook her head. “I was able to contact it, but it can only come to me in a specific time.”

“In a specific time? When?” Squatt asked.

“When the veils between the realms of the nearest planet with life are thinner,” She said. “That is when it will come.”

“It probably meant Earth,” Finster said. “From what I understand from human folklore, they believe that happens on Halloween, at the end of the month that it’s going on Earth right now.”

“So it won’t be long,” Rita finally got up with the help of the others. “It won’t be long. When the time comes, The Cranium will come to me and the Earth will kneel at my feet!”

\--

The next day at school began. Trini walked through the corridors, looking for someone. She was trying her best to focus on school right now. She would worry about Ranger business after. She was still processing what Zordon told her about the Wand, the giants, and the Zord. She was trying not to think about the other things he hadn’t told her. Shaking her head, making the thoughts go away, she approached the person she was looking for.

“Hey Billy.” She said.

The boy closed his locker and gave her a look. It was quite clear she wasn’t exactly the person he wanted to see. “Greetings, Trini.”

“Look,” Trini began. “I know I screwed up, big time, with you. Not just with going to the mall with Kimberly, but before that. I know I’m slipping and you are offering your help and… I’m not doing what I am supposed to do. I really am sorry, and I know I’ve said that a lot of times before, but it’s the truth. You are my friend, one of my best. I really don’t want for us to be like this.”

Billy listened to her and studied her carefully. “At least you are aware.”

Trini managed a small smile.

“But it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t change your behavior, Trini.” Billy told her honestly.

That hurt, but he was right. Trini looked at her feet and nodded. “Look, I want to reschedule our studying sessions. Not just that. Let’s hang out at your garage-lab. We haven’t done that in such a long time.”

Billy was clearly torn. “Look, Trini. As you said, I do want to help you, but you need to want help first.”

Trini wanted to say something, anything.

Billy looked at his watch. “I must go now. We… we will continue this dialogue later.”

He gave a very brief smile and walked away.

Trini leaned her head against the lockers and sighed. Billy was right, as he always was. She wanted help, but unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. If only she could tell them the truth. All of them.

There was still Kimberly. She still didn’t know what she was going to tell the girl. As of now, she had no excuses to give to her. She started walking towards her locker, thinking how much being a Ranger had changed her life. Now, more than ever.

Before she reached her locker, she saw a group of people talking lively. She recognized that they were talking to Jason. She smiled. He was probably telling them about what happened at the harbor. She was about to continue walking when she saw Kimberly was in the crowd too. Inhaling, she started walking towards the group.

“The Green Ranger is amazing, I’m telling you!” Jason said excitedly.

“I totally agree!” Kimberly said.

“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt,” Zack said then he looked at everyone around. “And your cousin. And you too, Kimberly. I’m always glad no one gets hurt when these things attack.”

“Hey everyone,” Trini greeted all of them. “What’s the news?”

“Jason met the Green Ranger.” Zack said. He didn’t sound so excited about it.

“You did huh?” Trini nodded appreciatively. “I’m happy you are okay.”

“Oh, Trini,” Jason put both hands over his chest. “It was amazing! I have to tell you all about it.”

“I guess meeting the Green Ranger is quite common then?” A boy Trini didn’t know asked Kimberly in particular. The girl smiled at him.

“Not that common!” Kimberly laughed.

The boy gave her a warm smile. He had a physique very similar to Jason’s, although he had a paler complexion. He had dark brown hair that went just a bit above his shoulders. Trini had never seen him around.

“Oh, hey Trini!” Kimberly waved at her.

“Hi Kimberly.” Trini said. She was about to continue when the other girl interrupted her.

“This is Tommy Oliver,” She said motioning to the mysterious guy next to her. “He’s new in town and school, so I’m showing him around.”

“Nice to meet you, Trini.” He said friendly and offered her his hand.

“Likewise.” Trini smiled and shook his hand.

“Oh, since you are here,” Kimberly started. “Tommy and I are going out after school so I can show him the cool places to hang out. Do you want to come with?”

Trini noticed the looks Zack and Jason were giving her but chose to ignore them. “I would love to, really, but I have things to do with Billy. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” She had the same expression she had back at the mall.

“I’m sure there will be many other opportunities for us to hang out, Kim.” Tommy said offering Trini a smile.

“You are right,” Her demeanor changed almost immediately.

The bell rang and everybody started to move to go to their classes.

“Oh!” Kimberly turned to Tommy. “You still don’t know where your classes all are, do you?”

“Not really,” He shrugged with a lopsided smile. “Care to show me around?”

“Of course not!” Kimberly gave him a very bright smile. “Come on, before we are late. Bye guys.”

“Bye.” Trini said looking at the two who seemed very comfortable with each other as they walked away.

“Trini...” Zack began.

“I don’t want to be late,” She told him without looking at him. “I’ll see you guys later. Bye.”

She walked away, feeling a pressure in her chest. It was silly to think that Kimberly… She didn’t even mention their lunch they were supposed to… She was being paranoid. Kimberly and her… they were just… The words friends probably didn’t even fit.

What was that song Kermit used to sing?

Yeah. It’s **definitely** not easy being green.


	3. Taming of the Zord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone.
> 
> The first thing I should do is apologize to everyone who became a reader of this story. It's been over a year since I updated and for that, I am sorry. I have talked about it a bit in my other stories that took off hiatus but to make a very long story short, I had a lot of personal and mental problems ever since I published the second chapter of this story. I am getting better though, and slowly, everything is coming together. I sincerely hope everyone continues reading this story since I will continue to write it and finish it.
> 
> On the bright side, this chapter the probably the longest one out of three. Almost 50 pages long. So, good right?
> 
> I do really want to thank every single person who read, commented, bookmarked and gave this story kudos. It means the world to me, truly.
> 
> I hope all of you enjoy this chapter!

The classroom had emptied. Trini sat at her desk, her paper in hand with a big ‘D’ in red circled. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose while she shut her eyes. While it wasn’t a final paper or even an important test, it showed her exactly what her friends, especially Billy had said to her: you are slipping. Seeing her grades now and the ones before… well, she couldn’t really blame them. Her mind was so full with everything that had happened related to being a Ranger and Rita and also the secrets that Zordon was seemingly keeping… everything was just too… **ugh**!

She finally left the classroom and started to walk towards her locker, the paper now just a wrinkled ball in her hands. Her mind immediately went to Billy, who had time and time offered to help and she simply blew him off. She felt horrible, especially ever since their last conversation. Every time she thought about talking to him, she simply… couldn’t. Too much anxiety took over her. He was her a friend. One she had had for a long time but still… She had let him down. She simply could not walk up to him and ask for help. Not yet, anyway. She still had other things to deal.

Speaking of which.

As she had just finished with her locker, she was about to move when someone stopped in front of her, smiling. She smiled back. At least, she gave her best attempt at it.

“Hey, Trini,” It was Tommy, the new guy who was **always** around Kimberly. “Everything okay? You seem a bit down.”

He sounded genuinely worried. The girl just shook her head and smiled. “Nothing serious, just, you know, school and all.”

He sighed, understanding. “I hear you. School is quite tough.”

“It sure is.” She said as she closed her locker’s door and began walking, Tommy following her.

“So,” His tone shifted. “You are friends with Kimberly, right?”

“Kimberly?” She asked. She wasn’t dumb, but the question truly caught her by surprise.

“Yeah,” He nodded. “Kimberly Hart.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know her,” Trini tried hard to focus. “I wouldn’t exactly say we are friends though.”

“Really?” Tommy asked. “She talks so well about you I thought you two were best friends.”

Kimberly talked well about her? Even after what happened at the mall?

“Hum,” Trini’s brain was cooperating after hearing that.

“This is going to sound totally weird,” Tommy laughed a little embarrassed. “I was just wondering if you could tell me about her some more.”

“Why?” The question left her lips before she could hold them back.

“I kinda wanna know her better,” Tommy shrugged, still embarrassed. “You know?”

She knew **exactly** what he meant. That was the worst.

Before the conversation could go more into a very disturbing territory for Trini, the bell rang.

“Oh,” Trini thanked the bell. “I really have to go, Tommy. Sorry that I have to run like this.”

“No! No, no,” Tommy shook his head, still with a smile. “I get it.”

“Hum,” Trini started to move away slowly. “We can talk more later, OK?”

“That would be awesome!” He said excitedly. “We could really do something together. We could even invite Kim. That would be great, right?”

 _Your definition of great is very different from mine_. She thought.

“Yeah,” She said, trying to sound interested in the horrible idea. “We can talk about it later, right? I really have to go. Bye!”

Tommy just waved and turned in the direction of his classes happy that maybe he could count on Trini to help him with Kimberly.

\--

“Zordon!” Alpha’s voice echoed throughout the Command Center.

“What is it, Alpha?” He asked calmly.

“I think I was able to narrow it down!” Alpha said excitedly as a robot could be. “The signals of Trini’s Power Coin are matching with a power wave emanating from the Sea of Japan!”

“Are you certain?” Zordon asked more seriously.

“Almost a 100% certain,” Alpha said. “I still have to run some more tests but this could definitely be it. We could have finally found where the Dragonzord is!”

“Perhaps,” Zordon said. “Alpha, make another run through all the tests on this area. We need to be completely sure it is the right place. We found other similar resonating energies around different places in the world before.”

“But this one is different!” Alpha insisted. “The matching is almost perfect!”

“It has to be perfect, Alpha,” Zordon said with an even more serious tone. “We need to be fully certain it is the resting place of the Zord.”

Alpha didn’t say anything else, just went back to doing his tests to make sure that was the place they needed to send Trini so she could finally take another step into becoming a complete Power Ranger.

Zordon could understand the robot’s excitement. He wanted this to be the right place, of course. Yet, they needed to be sure, completely sure. They were not in a position to make mistakes. He knew very well that Trini was not happy with him. He needed to make sure the next mission he would send her would be a successful one. The tides were slowly turning. He needed Trini to not let that happen. He needed to find the correct resting place of the Dragonzord.

If only he hadn’t left before Rita and he fought each other for the last time… Things would be so different.

He sighed. There was no need to mull over happenings from so long ago. He had promised himself that this time, with Trini, it would be different. It wasn’t going to be like it had been with him. He was not going to fail at his promise again.

\--

The study hall wasn’t so full, like always, so she easily spotted Billy sitting alone by one of the big windows. She sighed and calmed herself, using her techniques to center her body before she walked towards her friend.

This was not going to be easy.

She approached the table silently but she could tell Billy probably knew she was there. She sat across him, waiting for any kind of response. She noticed his posture changed but he still didn’t take his eyes off the book he had in his hands. Trini sighed silently and closed her eyes for a second.

Yeah, **definitely** not going to be easy.

“Billy,” She began, trying to keep her voice stable. “Can we talk?”

“We can talk.” He answered quickly and dryly. He eyes still didn’t leave the book.

Trini resisted the urge to sigh. “May we talk?”

Silence.

“Please?” Now the levelness was out of the window. She was in the first stages of begging.

Billy closed his eyes for what felt like several minutes before opening them again. He closed his book and slowly moved his eyes up, meeting Trini’s eyes. He was still silent.

“Hey.” Trini tried.

“What is that you want, Trini?” Billy asked with his voice leveled. No anger but also not any noticeable feeling in it.

“I want to talk to you,” Trini said honestly. “And apologize for all the wrong things I’ve been doing.”

Billy kept looking at her, seemingly letting his brain work. He nodded. “I see.”

“Look,” She leaned a bit onto the table. “I know… my excuses have been horrible and…”

“Not convincing,” Billy added. “Or reasonable to say the least.”

Trini simply nodded. “Yeah…”

“Trini,” Billy was the one leaning now. “Are you…”

“Am I…?” For a split second, her heart raced like never before. Did… did Billy, somehow… did he know about…

“Are you,” He seemed uncomfortable talking about what was in his mind. “Are you… falling back into… those old habits?”

Trini blinked several times as her heart returned to normal. Oh. So **that** was he was thinking about. Made more sense really.

“No!” Trini reassured him immediately. “No, I swear to you, Billy. It has nothing to do with… them or… that part of my life.”

Billy let out a sigh of relief and adjusted his glasses. “I am, well, really glad then.”

“Look,” Trini began. “I know it sounds like… it is… but it isn’t!”

“Then what has been going on with you lately, Trini?” Billy asked now with emotion in his voice. “I am worried about it, and not just because of school. Zack and Jason are worried about it too.”

And that broke her heart. It really did.

“I just,” She closed her and shook her head. How much she wished she could tell him, Zack, and Jason the truth. She couldn’t though. “It’s been hard… with, you know, personal issues…”

She was lying and she felt horrible. Even more when Billy bought it. She was glad of course but she hated herself at that moment. “I am sorry. I never thought it could be about that. I am truly sorry, Trini, I should have noticed it.”

“No!” She waved her hands at him. “It’s really, really okay, Billy. I also could have handled things a lot better, it’s just… all I am going through is… far from simple.”

That wasn’t so much of a lie really.

“I understand,” Billy said. He sighed and his demeanor changed completely. “All right then. When are we going to schedule our studying sessions?”

Trini blinked at the sudden change but decided not to linger on it. “Hum, Saturday is always better, right? We can review not only everything from the week but also study previous topics.”

Billy nodded. “Agreeable. Saturday it is.”

“Saturday.” Trini smiled.

“I don’t need to say anything about you not showing up, right?” Billy asked simply.

“Definitely not,” Trini smirked. “We are over that.”

“I am ecstatic to know.” Billy said with the slightest hint of humor.

Trini laughed quietly and turned her head. She froze when she saw Kimberly sitting a few tables ahead, alone and reading a book. There was another person she needed to make some serious amends.

“Go talk to her.” Billy said simply.

“What?” Trini turned her head back.

“I know you also made mistakes with her, therefore, go talk to her.” Billy explained as it was that simple.

“I can’t… just go talk to her.” Trini argued.

“Why not? Have you not done the same thing to me?” Billy explained. “If you are really are trying to make up for your mistakes, she is definitely next on your list.”

Trini knew he was right but she didn’t know what to do.

“Just go, Trini,” Billy smiled and patted one of her hands. “She will understand. If she really wants to be your friend, she will.”

Trini sighed but nodded. She got up, said bye to Billy, and went over to Kimberly’s table. She sat a bit closer to her and Kimberly noticed her immediately, actually offering her a smile.

“Hey, Trini.” She said with her usual cheeriness.

“Hi Kimberly,” Trini smiled. “Are you busy?”

“No,” She closed the book she was reading. “Not at all. What’s up?”

Trini sighed. Kimberly was nice but she could tell from the smile she had on that she was still mad at her. She couldn’t really blame her. “Look, I want to talk about that day at the mall.”

“Oh,” Kimberly waved her hand like it wasn’t important. “That was nothing!”

“No,” Trini said seriously. “I know it was. I want to apologize for it. I really do. I loved our day and hated myself for ditching you like that. I’m **still** hating myself for it.”

Kimberly blinked but said nothing.

“Look,” Trini took the opportunity of the other girl’s silence to begin. “I’ve been… going through some heavy personal stuff and I’m not handling them as well as I would like to and… they are really messing up my life.”

Kimberly simply nodded.

“I don’t want to use that as an excuse,” Trini said. “What I do want is to make it up to you for what happened. Would you… would you let me?”

Kimberly remained silent. Trini felt her body start to shake a little but controlled herself.

“If you don’t want to, I can completely understand and I will leave you alone.” Trini said, unable to hide the sadness in her voice. She was about to get up when Kimberly grabbed her wrist.

“Trini, wait,” Kimberly said. “Look, I appreciate that you are apologizing and that you want to make up for it, I really do.”

Trini couldn’t help the small smile forming on her lips.

“It’s just that,” She let go of Trini’s wrist. “I’m not used to people doing that, you know? Apologizing for doing stuff that makes me upset.”

Trini didn’t know how to respond to that.

“I don’t hate you or anything,” Kimberly gave her an actual genuine smile. “I just want some time to think about it, okay?”

Trini nodded. “That is understandable.”

Kimberly patted the seat so Trini could sit down again.

“Can I ask you something?” Kimberly said.

“Sure,” Trini confirmed, feeling a little apprehensive. She didn’t know what kind of question Kimberly could ask. “What is it?”

“Tommy Oliver,” She said and Trini immediately felt her stomach drop. She would have preferred Kimberly to ask her anything else. “You know him a bit, don’t you?”

“Not really,” Trini said. “Why?”

“I saw you talking to him one day,” Kimberly mentioned. “I thought you knew him.”

“No,” She shook her head. “I actually thought you knew him.”

Kimberly giggled. “Not really. He’s quite introverted and we only talked a few times. I just know he’s from out of town, really.”

Trini nodded.

“He seems like a nice guy, you know?” Kimberly said. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better.”

Trini really didn’t know how to respond to that. Maybe Kimberly was interested in Tommy…

“I mean,” Kimberly seemed a bit embarrassed. “I, well, don’t really have that many friends. It would be nice to have him as a friend.”

Trini frowned. Kimberly didn’t have many friends?

“Maybe the three of us could do something together,” Kimberly suggested. Just like Tommy had. “It would be nice, right?”

“I…” Trini cleared her throat and smiled at Kimberly, not wanting to upset her. “I think it would be. I could talk to him and then we could see what we could all do.”

Kimberly squealed in delight and hugged Trini quickly, taking the other girl by surprise.

“That would be awesome, Trini,” Kimberly said happily. “Thank you so much!”

“No problem.” She said with a very forced smile.

Kimberly might not be interested in Tommy like that, well, at least it didn’t seem to be the case. On the other hand, she could definitely not say the same thing about Tommy. The way he talked about Kim didn’t exactly sound like someone who just wanted another friend. Trini could be wrong… but she would know the new boy better first. Zack would probably say something about getting to know your love rival. Trini ignored that. She just wanted to make sure Kimberly was safe.

Yeah,

That was all to it.

Definitely.

\--

Goldar walked inside Finster’s workshop, a place he wouldn’t exactly be a lot of times. The white creature seemed busy with work, as always, which made the golden-armored warrior curious. They hadn’t attacked in so long. Why would Finster be working to fight the Green Ranger if their Mistress had not said anything about a new attack?

“Quite a surprise seeing you here.” Finster stated from his work.

“Not many people in this palace where you can have a proper talk.” Goldar huffed.

“Baboo and Squatt giving you trouble?” Finster asked somewhat amused.

“No, they know better than that by now,” Goldar explained. “I have just been feeling…”

“Restless.” Finster finished for him.

Goldar narrowed his eyes. “How do you know?”

“You didn’t deny it,” Finster pointed out. “Besides, none of us have left the Palace since Rita acquired her altar.”

“No, we have not.” Goldar sighed as he sat on one of the free stools around the workshop.

“I would make some Putties for you to take to the Dark Dimension and let out your frustrations,” Finster said. “Unfortunately, I cannot do that. We need to save as much as magickal clay as we can.”

“For when?’ Goldar asked with his voice a bit raised. “Mistress hasn’t given us any sign of when she plans to attack.”

“Not anytime soon, I am afraid,” Finster explained. “She is waiting for Earth’s All Hallows Eve to perform the ritual with the altar so she can move her plan.”

“And we simply wait?” Goldar asked. “We could be attacking the Green Ranger so she would not be a disturbance during the ritual!”

“You do know it is not that simple, Goldar,” Finster said. “The Green Ranger has proved lately how resourceful she can be. It isn’t so simple to fight her. Not like it was back then.”

“I miss the old days.” Goldar mumbled.

“Don’t we all,” Finster agreed. “As time passes, we need to prepare.”

“Is that what you are doing?” Goldar pointed at the small figurines of Monsters the other alien had made.

“Precisely,” Finster nodded. “Once Rita is ready, she will have a lot to choose from. Then, after the ritual is finished, only then, will the Green Ranger be helpless.”

Goldar smiled. He could not wait for that moment. He desired to be the one who would deliver the killing blow to the Green Ranger and after that, there would be no more Power Ranger in their way to conquer Earth.

\--

Zack and Trini sat together at a table in the Juice Bar, watching Jason’s Karate Class. Trini had always admired Jason’s abilities and his natural teaching skills. She glimpsed at Zack watching his boyfriend. His face for anyone was just one of a friend watching another friend but for her… the smallest hint of a smile and the spark in Zack’s eyes. Just by that, she knew how much Jason meant to him. She always imagined the two leaving Angel Grove after graduation to live their life together somewhere else where they would be accepted. There weren’t many options but she hoped for her friends. They deserved it.

“So,” Zack seemed in physical pain from tearing his eyes away from Jason and turning to Trini. “Do you know what is going on with Kimberly and that Oliver dude?”

“Kimberly and Tommy?” Trini asked. Ah, the gossip of AG High.

“You know what everyone is saying, right?” Zack asked with a worried tone.

“I really don’t know.” Trini answered honestly.

“Well,” Zack seemed to be thinking of the best way to continue the conversation. “They say they are… hum, well, you know… an item.”

“An item?” Trini actually chuckled. She could see why people would say that but she knew it wasn’t like that. Of course, she mostly hoped it wasn’t but from talking to both, this wasn’t the case.

“Yeah…” Zack genuinely sounded sorry for his friend.

“They aren’t, it’s just gossip as usual.” Trini said, with a bit more annoyance than she wanted to show.

Zack raised an eyebrow at her. “And how are so sure?”

Trini looked at him but didn’t seem to have an actual answer.

“Trini Thuy Kwan!” Zack almost shouted and then immediately lowered his voice. “Are you and… her an item?”

“What?” Trini asked flabbergasted. “No! Zack, no! We are not an… item! We are barely friends.”

“Really?” Zack asked confused. “I thought you two were doing girl stuff as friends.”

“We were,” Trini sighed. “But…”

“But?” Zack asked with an already different tone. He most definitely knew what was going to come after the ‘but’.

Trini remained silent.

“Let me guess,” Zack said. His voice wasn’t with a mean tone. “You did something wrong. Am I right?”

The girl in green simply shook her head.

Zack sighed. “You know I’m going to go all Billy on you, right?”

“I know,” Trini said. “It’s not your style though. And before you say anything, I’ve talked to both of them and apologized. For real.”

“You did, huh?” Zack asked and then smiled. “I’m happy to hear that, Trini. You already know this but we are just worried about you.”

Trini smiled. “I know. Which is why I love you all so much.”

She could actually see Zack blushing slightly before the boy decided to change the subject. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?” She asked.

“How do you know Kimberly and Tommy are not an item?” He asked, really wanting to know. “Everybody in school is talking about the two, you know since Kimberly never had a guy hanging around her like him. Skull doesn’t count, of course.”

“I,” She sighed. “I talked to both of them. Kimberly seems to only want to get to know him better to be friends with him.”

“Okay,” Zack nodded. Then his face turned a bit more serious. “What about Tommy? What did he say?”

Trini closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. Zack didn’t need for to say anything. He already knew.

“He wants something else with her.” Zack concluded.

“I don’t know,” Trini said. “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he just wants friends too since he’s new in Angel Grove.”

“How can you be so sure?” Zack asked seriously. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything and you know I am the last person to listen to gossip but…”

“But?” Trini asked, now interested.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at her, the way he talks to her,” Zack explained. “Take it from another guy, Trini. He’s interested.”

Trini remained silent. Deep down she knew Zack was right. She was far from stupid and innocent to really believe Tommy only wanted to be friends with Kimberly.

“And how do you feel about all of this?” Zack asked now worried. “I know how you feel about Kimberly. I can’t really imagine how it feels to have someone going after the one you feel for.”

Before Trini could answer, one of their topics of discussion entered the Youth Center. Tommy Oliver looked around, seemingly not very familiar with the place. He spotted Trini and gave her smile, walking over to her.

“Great.” She whispered silently.

“Hey, Trini!” He greeted with a smile. He turned to Zack and offered him his hand. “I don’t think I know you. I’m Tommy Oliver.”

“Zack Taylor,” Zack shook his hand. Trini could notice Zack was disturbed by the fact Tommy didn’t know him. After all, everyone in Angel Grove High knew Zackary Taylor. “You are the new kid, right?”

“Yeah,” Tommy nodded a bit shyly and ran his hand behind his back through his hair. “Hum, am I interrupting anything?”

Trini and Zack exchanged quick looks. Before she could really interpret Zack’s eye message, she smiled at Tommy. “No, you aren’t. Come on, take a seat with us.”

“Thank you, Trini!” He gladly sat with the two. He turned to Zack with a smile. “Your friend is one of the nicest people I met here.”

“She is,” Zack answered with a smile Trini knew all too well. “Sometimes more than she should be.”

“So!” Trini called the attention to her. “What are you doing here, Tommy?”

“Oh,” Tommy looked around, seemingly oblivious to Zack’s attitude. “I heard about this place so I wanted to check out, you know.”

Trini simply nodded. The Youth Center was one of the most famous spots for the teens of Angel Grove. Of course, she would end up bumping into him here.

“Who is that?” Tommy asked pointing to Jason. “He is amazing!”

Zack gave him a side-glance that would have definitely killed him.

“That’s Jason Lee Scott,” Trini explained before Zack could say anything. “He teaches Karate.”

“Wow,” Tommy really seemed impressed with Jason. Trini knew he was impressed with Jason’s moves and not Jason himself, which was probably what was going on in Zack’s head. “He’s a great fighter.”

“The best!” Zack gloated. “He has won basically every fighting championship in Angel Grove.”

“Seriously?” Tommy sounded surprised and intrigued at the same time. “That’s amazing!”

“It really is.” Zack said quite smugly.

“I would love to spar with him.” Tommy said out of nowhere.

“What?’ Zack asked dumbfounded.

“You fight?” Trini asked surprised. She didn’t know that. Sure, Tommy was very well built but she had no idea he was in Martial Arts.

“Yeah,” Tommy explained. “I fought in some championships back in San Angeles, where I lived before moving here.”

“Do you know Karate?” Zack asked doubtfully. “Jason is almost a black belt.”

“I know Karate,” Tommy nodded. “Not at his level, probably. I also know some other Martial Arts like Jiu-Jitsu, Tae Kwon Do, and a few others. I like to mix it up. Can’t really focus on just one.”

Zack gave her a look while the other boy simply laughed at what he just said. Trini just shrugged. She really didn’t know that about Tommy.

“Are you guys friends with him?” Tommy asked.

“Yes!” “Yeah, we are.” Zack and Trini answered respectively.

“Cool,” Tommy smiled. “Think he would be up for a spar with a stranger?”

Zack opened his mouth but a voice cut him from what he was going to say. “Who is sparring with a stranger?”

Jason had arrived next to their table without the three noticing him. He had a smile and looked at Tommy with a curious look. “I don’t think I’ve met you.”

“Oh!” Tommy immediately got up from his chair and extended his hand to Jason. “I’m Tommy Oliver. I’m new here.”

Jason shook his hand and nodded friendly. “I’m Jason Lee Scott.”

“We were actually talking about you.” Zack said with his eyes on Tommy.

“Really?” Jason asked. “About me sparring with a stranger? Was that what you were talking about?”

“Actually,” Tommy began. “I was asking your friends if there was any possible way for us two to spar. I saw you out there and I gotta say: You are amazing.”

Zack crossed his arms and turned his head away while Jason blushed slightly. “Well, thanks. Hum, do you fight?”

Tommy nodded.

“Well,” Jason smiled. “I see no reason then. You seem to be dressed already to work out. Would it be a problem if we did it now? I’m still quite pumped from the lesson and it would be nice to spare with someone of my age.”

Zack exhaled quite loudly but said nothing. Trini noticed Tommy didn’t catch that but Jason seemed to.

“You don’t mind waiting a bit more, do you?” Jason asked Zack. He then turned to Tommy and added quickly. “He’s helping me with some subjects from school.”

“Oh!” Tommy said. “I don’t want to interrupt any of your guys’ plans.”

“You aren’t,” Jason reassured him. “I need some way to release all this tension. So, do you want to do this?”

“Oh!” Tommy was still surprised Jason had accepted it. “Of course! Of course!”

Both boys moved back to the training mats’ area while Trini and Zack watched the two go. Trini felt unsure of what was going on but she could tell Zack was absolutely pissed.

Both remained in silence while they watched Jason and Tommy fight. To their surprise and definitely Jason’s, Tommy was a very talented fighter. The two sparred for almost an entire hour with neither backing down. Both seemed in the zone, enjoying the fight. After both seemed really tired, they came back to the table, both with smiles on their faces.

“Wow, man,” Jason said. “You have some amazing moves!”

“Thanks!” Tommy seemed really happy with the compliment. “But you are way better, no questions asked.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say that,” Jason laughed. “You have some mad skills. We should train more. I could teach some moves and you could teach me those you used.”

“Really?” Tommy sounded like he didn’t believe what Jason was saying.

“Totally,” Jason patted his shoulder. “We should definitely schedule some time to train together.”

“Some other time, of course,” Zack said quite coldly as he got up from the table and shoved a backpack to Jason. “We are late and busy now.”

“Oh!” Tommy nodded. “Yeah, of course. I guess we lost track of time. I’m sorry Zack. I’ll talk to you later then, Jason?”

“Yeah, definitely,” He answered but he was eyeing Zack worriedly. “I have to go now. Bye Tommy. Bye Trini.”

“Bye.” Zack said simply to everyone and walked in front while Tommy and Trini said their goodbyes and Jason followed him out of the Youth Center.

“Did I make Zack mad?” Tommy asked.

“No,” Trini shook her head. “Zack can be like that sometimes. Don’t worry about him.”

“Okay then,” Tommy nodded and sat at the table with Trini. The girl felt a little discomfort but she couldn’t say anything. Nothing that she had seen from Tommy made him a bad guy. In fact, it made him the opposite. That was worse.

After ordering a banana smoothie, he started talking to Trini. “So, how is the catching up with school work?”

“Oh,” Trini blinked. “I actually have a friend who is helping me out with it. You’ve probably heard of him around the school. Billy Cranston?”

Tommy nodded. “I did, actually. He’s like the ultra genius, isn’t he?”

Trini laughed a little. “That is actually putting it mildly.”

“So, he is helping you with your school work, then.” Tommy said.

Trini nodded. “We’re good friends.”

Tommy remained silent for a moment. It seemed like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to do it.

“What’s wrong?” Trini asked.

“I…” Tommy sighed. “School is quite tough for me too.”

Trini remained silent at the tone he had said that. It was like he was revealing some sort of a dark secret.

“I’ve never been the best student,” Tommy continued. “Or an average one at that. I have this… problem with forgetting stuff.”

“I see,” Trini said, not knowing what else she could say. “I’m sorry, Tommy.”

Tommy gave her a small smile. “I’m used to it. It’s just that here I’m **really** behind things.”

“OK.” Trini somehow knew what was going to happen next.

“I really, really don’t want to do this,” Tommy sounded sincere. “But do you think you could talk to your friend Billy and see if he’s up to tutoring a lost case like me?”

Trini opened and closed her mouth. The boy looked so hopeful. Trini felt horrible for even considering slightly telling him that Billy would say no, even if she never asked her friend. She couldn’t do that though. She simply couldn’t.

She sighed. “I can talk to him. I going to have a tutoring session with him on Saturday. I will talk to you and tell you what he thinks about it, is that okay?”

“Really?” Tommy said astonished. “That would be… simply awesome! Oh, thank you, Trini! Really, thank you so much!”

Trini simply smiled and nodded. “I can’t promise you anything though. Billy isn’t exactly what you call a social person.”

Tommy shook his head with a smile. “It’s no problem. I’m just glad you are up to talking to him about me.”

“Yeah,” Trini smiled. “It’s no problem.”

What the hell was happening?

\--

Saturday came and Billy and Trini spent the entire morning studying. They took a break for lunch before hitting the books again. By the middle of the afternoon, both decided to stop for the day. Trini was always surprised that Billy seemingly never got tired of studying.

“Well,” Trini said as put her books in her backpack. “This was really productive.”

Billy nodded as he gathered his books from the table. “Quite productive indeed.”

“Hey,” She smiled at her friend. “Thank you, Billy. You know, for doing this.”

Billy remained silent for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. “You are aware I will always be available to help you Trini.”

“I appreciate that.” Trini nodded.

“However,” Billy continued. “I am having a hard time understanding the reason I need to help you.”

Trini blinked. “I, hum, I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You are a brilliant girl, Trini,” Billy said. “All that we studied today? We recapitulated almost the entire semester and you knew everything. You caught up with almost no problem.”

Trini sighed. She knew what he was talking about. “Look, I told you, I just…”

“Haven’t had the time to focus on your studies,” Billy said it for her. “You told me that before.”

“Do you think I’m lying?” Trini asked.

“No,” Billy answered simply. “I am just trying to decipher what is exactly your problem.”

“Billy,” Trini shook her head. She didn’t want to have this discussion again. “I’m just having trouble organizing my time.”

“Why?” Billy inquired. “If you are no longer doing… that, then what is taking up your time?”

Trini felt a tightness in her chest. She hated lying but there was no other way out. “I’m worried. Worried about my life after high school.”

Billy looked her in the eyes in complete silence. She knew he didn’t buy that. She decided to change the subject before she dug herself into a hole.

“Do you know the new student, Tommy Oliver?” Trini asked.

Billy seemed surprised at the change of subject but said nothing about it. “I’ve heard of him and seen him around. Especially…”

“Especially?” Trini asked, wanting him to continue.

“I’ve seen him socializing with Kimberly.” Billy said.

“Oh. Yeah,” Trini sighed. “They are trying to be friends.”

“Friends?” Billy inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Anyway,” Another topic she didn’t want to discuss. “He asked me if you would be interested in tutoring him. He’s having a really hard time with school and he knows I know you, so, he asked me.”

Billy looked at Trini curiously. “And you would not mind if I tutored him?”

“No,” Trini said as convincingly as she could. “He needs your help.”

Billy kept observing for a while in complete silence before speaking. “I can talk to him next week during school.”

“Great,” Trini nodded and put on her backpack. “I should go. Thanks again Billy and… thank you for considering helping Tommy. Bye.”

“Bye, Trini.” Billy said and watched his friend leave his house.

\--

The walk through the park was calm. Trini tried to maintain her senses in high alert since this was Rita’s favorite spot to attack but her mind was quite clouded. Besides, Zordon had told her Rita shouldn’t be making any moves soon. Trini could only hope.

She was so distracted she didn’t notice she walked right in front of a picnic table occupied by five people. Five teens. Ones she knew oh so well.

“Hey,” A male voice called. “Deadly Mantis! You’re gonna be rude and not talk to us?”

Trini stop, closing her eyes and breathing with control. She really didn’t need this now. She would rather fight Rita’s Monsters than to face them.

She turned and saw all five looking at her, with their sarcastic smiles. They all still dressed the same. Always trying to look punk and menacing. She noticed they had improved on looking more the violent types. She didn’t buy that.

“Hello, Jostin,” She said to the boy dressed in dark red who called her and turned to the others. “Everyone, hi.”

“Trin-Trin!” Kristen, a blonde girl dressed in dark pink got up and gave a very sorry attempt of a hug. She held Trini’s arms in her hands. “How are you, girl? We haven’t seen you in ages!”

“She’s busy with her new friends, Kristen.” Tina said with venom. Trini looked at the girl who still seemed to be dressed in the same clothes from when they bumped into each other at the mall, except for dark yellow scarf.

“Right, right,” A taller black boy approached the two girls. He always the only of them dressed completely in black. “Moved a new leaf, didn’t ya?”

“You know I did, Zane,” She told him seriously as she gently took Kristen’s hand off her. “You all know that.”

“Still holding us guilty then,” A boy dressed in dark blue clothes and glasses whistled and cringed. Trini always thought of him as some sort of dark version of Billy. “That can’t be good for your therapy.”

“At least I go to therapy, Bobby,” She told the boy with disdain. “And to rehab. All thanks to you.”

“Now, now,” Jostin stood up with his hands raised, trying to look intimidating. “That was your own fault for getting caught, Mantis. Not ours.”

“Stop calling me that,” Trini said through gritted teeth. “I’m not one of you.”

Kristen pouted. “Sad.”

Trini rolled her eyes. “I thought we had an agreement, actually.”

“Of not talking to you?” Tina asked. “You didn’t get a restraining order.”

“Yeah,” Trini said shaking her head. “I always regret that.”

“You don’t need that, Trini,” Bobby said. “You know us.”

“Yes, I know you, very well,” Trini crossed her arms. “Which is why we agreed that after all that happened we wouldn’t talk.”

“You hate us that much?” Zane asked. She knew he wasn’t being sincere. She was trying to get a rise out of her.

“I’m not doing this,” She said backing away. “I actually made my part and didn’t tell everything to the police. So, why don’t you do your part and leave me the hell alone.”

She turned away and walked at a faster pace. Her hands were trembling. She didn’t notice that. She closed her eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. It was them. She couldn’t let them get under her skin. She heard them saying something but she refused to turn back and continued walking.

Once she was far deeper into the park, she stopped and sat down near a tree. She grunted in frustration and rested her head on her hands. Jostin, Zane, Bobby, Kristen, and Tina… they still…

Her Communicator beeped.

“Trini here,” She gratefully answered. “Zordon, Alpha, what’s up?”

“Trini!” It was Alpha. “Are you good to teleport here?”

She glanced around. There was no one there but her.

“Sure am.” She answered.

“Come then!” Alpha told her. “We have some news!”

“On my way.” She said. She got up, checked around again and pressed the button the teleport, happily leaving the park behind.

\--

Trini arrived at the Command Center, actually glad to be there. Anywhere, even here, was better than being around them for a long time. She greeted Alpha 05 and walked up to Zordon. She nodded at him and Zordon answered the same way. Things were definitely not good between the two.

“So, what’s new?” She asked.

“We believe we finally found where the Dragonzord is!” Alpha announced happily.

“Really?” Trini asked the robot surprised and looked at Zordon. “And you are sure it is the Zord?”

Zordon nodded. “We ran every possible test. Even if there is a very minimal chance that it isn’t the Dragonzord, it is a chance we need to take it.”

Trini nodded. If Zordon wanted to even take a chance, it probably meant he was hoping they had actually really found the Zord.

“And where is it?” Trini asked, imagining where a giant robot could be hidden.

“Deep under the Sea of Japan.” Alpha explained.

“The Sea of Japan?” Trini was surprised. “That’s quite far away from here. Well, how are we going to teleport it here?”

Zordon and Alpha shared a look, which made Trini frown.

“We can’t.” Alpha said.

“Can’t what?” Trini asked.

“We cannot teleport the Dragonzord from its sleeping place to here.” Zordon added.

“Oh,” Trini deflated a little. “Then, what are we going to do?”

“You will go there, to its sleeping place,” Zordon explained. “And you will awaken it and tame it.”

Trini blinked. “I’m teleporting to Japan, is that it?”

“It’s the only way to acquire the Dragonzord, Trini.” Zordon said.

“Why?” Trini asked. “Why can’t we bring it here? Is it because it’s too big?”

“No, the size of the Zord has nothing to do with it.” Zordon explained.

“Then why can’t we?” Trini still didn’t understand the necessity to go to basically the other side of the world to get the Zord.

“Zords are machines but they are semi-sentient.” Alpha told her.

“They are robots that are… alive?” Trini asked surprised.

“In a manner of speaking,” Zordon said. “They are not fully operational by themselves as they need a Ranger to control them. Which is why you need to be there personally. You will need to summon it to awaken it and using your Power, you will command it.”

“Hum,” Trini was trying to put everything together. “Okay, so the part where you said I need to tame it is because I actually need to tame a giant dragon robot after it rises from the bottom of the ocean?”

Zordon remained silent for a moment before replying. “Precisely.”

Trini ran a hand through her forehead. “Okay, hum. What… what do I need to do?”

“You will use the Power of the Green Coin in order to bond with it together with the Dragon Dagger,” Zordon explained. “You will bond with it and it will be yours to control.”

“You make it sound easy but something tells me it is not that simple.” Trini said.

“It won’t be,” Zordon confirmed. “I have a faith in your abilities, Trini. I am certain you will be able to bond with the Dragonzord.”

“Okay,” Trini began to walk around, her mind going several different directions. “But how can I just… leave to go to Japan?”

“You can wait until it’s after midnight here,” Alpha offered. “You can come here and go there without your family realizing you were gone.”

Trini sighed. That could work. “What about Rita? Won’t she take this opportunity of me not being around here and attack?”

“I highly doubt Rita is formulating any immediate attack as I have told you,” Zordon said. “However, if something does happen, we’ll teleport you back here.”

“She will know I’m there,” Trini told him. “There’s no way she won’t.”

Zordon seemed to hesitate a bit. “I have to agree with you. She will most definitely feel once your morph there.”

“It’s a chance we have to take, Trini.” Alpha explained.

The robot was right.

“Okay then,” She sighed. “I’ll go back home, wait until my parents are asleep, come back here then… I’m going to Japan to awaken a giant dragon robot.”

“Rest, Trini,” Zordon told her. “Your body and mind will need to be in harmony for when you will communicate with the Dragonzord.”

“Okay,” She nodded. “I’m going then. See you in a little while.”

She left and Alpha and Zordon watched. They knew she was apprehensive about it. This mission was quite different and it would require more from here than just her fighting abilities as a Ranger. She would experience something completely different.

\--

Time passed and surprisingly, Trini was able to get some rest. It was already past midnight when she went to check if her parents were already asleep. Confirming that they wouldn’t notice her absence, she teleported back to the Command Center.

She arrived and was welcomed with a map from Alpha 05. It showed the specific location she would be going in order to call upon the Dragonzord. She thanked the robot and walked up to Zordon.

“So,” She began. “What will I need to do once I get there?”

“You will morph and stay from a distance where no one can see you or interrupt you,” Zordon began explaining. “Once you find this place, you will need to go into a meditating state.”

“Meditating state?” Trini asked. She wasn’t a stranger to meditating but she had never done it morphed.

“Yes,” Zordon nodded. “By doing this, you will have to connect your mind and essence to the Power inside your Green Coin.”

“Why?’ Trini asked. “I thought I would be using the Dragon Dagger.”

“You will,” Zordon said. “But only after commuting with the Power from your Coin.”

“Commute with the Power?” She asked confused

“You will understand once you accomplish it.” Zordon said.

“Zordon,” Trini shook her head. “Are you really going to go all cryptic on me now? Isn’t this an important mission? I should know everything!”

“And you will,” Zordon’s voice was not bothered by her small outburst. “Once you connect yourself with the Green Power Coin, you will understand.”

“And,” Trini asked. “Is that it?”

“It is what I can tell you about connecting yourself with the Dragonzord.” Zordon said. Trini didn’t know if she bought his sincere tone.

“Then, that is all you can tell me.” Trini said, clearly frustrated.

“The coordinates are ready, Trini.” Alpha said.

“Okay then,” She inhaled deeply. She gave Zordon a quick look before turning to Alpha. “Send me there, Alpha.”

Alpha pressed a few buttons and the column of green energy teleported Trini away.

“May the Power be with you.” Zordon whispered.

\--

Trini materialized in what seemed to be a dock working area. The smell of the ocean soon hit her nostrils. It had been a long time since she smelled that scent. She looked around and saw no one. She looked at the map. Alpha had teleported very near to where the Dragonzord supposedly was.

She walked a few feet over to the edge of the dock. She gazed down at the ocean. A shiver went down her spine. Well, that could be a sign. She sighed, moving away from the ocean. She looked around, trying to find a place where no one would see her as a Ranger. She looked at the top of a nearby building. It seemed like a good place since it faced the ocean and it was high enough for her not to be seen.

“First things first,” She said as she put the map in one of her pockets and reached behind her, summoning her Power Morpher. She checked before thrusting it in front of her. “ **It’s Morphin’ Time! Dragonzord!** ”

Now fully morphed, she jumped to the location she chose. She gazed at the ocean, a part of her still processing that a giant dragon robot was seemingly sleeping under there. She inhaled and exhaled. Time to get down to business.

She sat, legs crossed and set her hands on her knees. It was actually not easy to be in that position even with her Ranger Armor Suit. She breathed in and out again, preparing her mind and body. Meditating while morphed with the Power running through her should be interesting

She closed her eyes behind her helmet’s visor. She began to empty her mind. Billy, Zack Jason… Her old gang… Kimberly and Tommy… Zordon… Rita… All disappeared until only her the image of her Green Power Coin remained in her mind’s eye. She heard a foreign melody surrounding her. She had never heard it before but somehow it seemed familiar at the same time.

She began to focus on it, trying to send the Power in her to the representation in her mind. Since she was in the process of meditating, she couldn’t notice her Coin shining from her Morpher and her Suit as well. A green light emanated from her completely.

She began to feel something inside like the Power was taking her somewhere, similar to the feeling of transportation but different at the same time…

Something shoved her with such force that she felt like she stood up. She opened her eyes and blinked adjusting her vision, starting to think what went wrong when… she saw what is in front of her.

There was no ocean. In fact, there was nothing. She was in a place with only a green mist but there was nothing else visible. She was standing up but she looked at her feet and saw no floor. Where was she?

She looked around, not sure if she should move. She noticed she was no longer morphed. Had… it worked? Was this what Zordon was talking about?

“Hum,” Her voice was low. “Hello?”

Who was she calling for? What was she expecting from this place?

“All very good questions.” A voice echoed in her ears. She turned around to find no one, just the mist.

“Who’s there?” She called out.

“Me.” The same voice said.

She turned back and almost jumped out of her skin. Standing right in front of her was… her. Well, her Green Ranger form anyway. How was that possible?

“Anything is possible, Trini.” The Green Ranger said. It wasn’t her voice.

“You…” She said hesitantly. “You’re not me.”

“Of course I am not. Only you are you.” The Green Ranger said. The voice seemed… masculine?

“Who are you then?” She asked, eyeing the Ranger with caution.

“I am the Green Power Ranger.” The Ranger responded simply.

“Well, I am the Green Ranger,” Trini put a hand on her chest. “So, who are you really?”

“We are the same,” The Ranger said. “In a matter of speaking.”

“The same?’ Trini frowned. “Are you… some sort of manifestation of my powers?”

The Green Ranger tilted their head. “No, I am not. I am part of your power though.”

“You still haven’t answered who you are,” She pressed. “You know my name. How?”

“We share more than you think,” The Ranger explained. “In order to make things simpler for you, I am one Green Ranger. In better terms, I was one.”

“You… were a Green Ranger?” Trini asked. She knew, she always knew she couldn’t have been the first person in the Universe to use the powers of the Green Coin. So, this Ranger standing in front of her…

“Before you,” The Ranger said. “Many thousands of years ago.”

Thousands of years? That could only mean… “You were the Green Ranger who fought Rita before Zordon imprisoned her.”

“A representation of him,” The Ranger said. “He has left this plane of existence a long time ago, yet, a part of him remains in your power.”

“So, you’re sort of his… ghost?” Trini tried to understand the best she could.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” The Ranger asked.

Trini chuckled. “Nowadays, I believe in everything, to be honest.”

“An open mind,” The Ranger noted. “Then you can consider me the closest thing to his ghost.”

“Do you, I mean, did he have a name?” She asked although she thought it was a stupid question. Everyone had names.

“Brai.” The Ranger said simply.

“Brai?” She honestly had never heard anyone called that. “Was he Japanese?”

“Japanese?” The Ranger inquired, apparently curious.

“I mean, was he from where I am,” Trini tried to explain. “Where my physical body is, actually.”

“He was not from the land you are,” The Ranger said. “He was not from this planet.”

The previous Green Ranger was an alien then. That… kind of made sense to her.

“Was he, hum, from Eltar?” Trini tried to guess. If Zordon was from there, probably his previous Ranger also was.

“Indeed he was,” The Ranger nodded. “He came to this planet in pursuit of Rita.”

 _With Zordon_. She thought.

“If he wasn’t Japanese,” Trini began speaking again. “Why did he hid the Dragonzord here?”

“What makes you think he was the one who hid it here?” The Ranger asked.

Trini blinked. Actually, she didn’t know why. It couldn’t have been Zordon since he didn’t know before where it was. It made sense to her that the previous owner was most likely responsible.

“Your train of thought is very correct, Trini,” The Ranger complimented. “A wise mind.”

“You are reading my thoughts.” She said.

“We are the same, remember?” The Ranger said simply.

“Okay,” Trini sighed. “Then, why? Why here?”

The Ranger took a minute before responding. “Brai passed through many trials and tribulations as the Green Ranger. He might have received the bless of the Shield of Caesar but he suffered many losses. He believed that after Rita was banished, he should leave his Zord away from the place you live.”

“Angel Grove?” Trini asked perplexed.

“Many currents of different powers run across your city,” The Ranger explained. “Brai knew that when Rita came back, she would set her eyes there to achieve her goals.”

“He knew she would come back then.” Trini concluded.

“It crossed his mind until the day he passed on,” The Ranger said. “His Power Morpher was given to Zordon, but with his Zord, he preferred to be in a different place.”

“He wanted to hide it from Zordon too?” Trini asked. She wondered how his relationship with Zordon was.

“In a manner of speaking, he did,” The Ranger said. “He knew Zordon had secrets.”

“Even back then, huh?” Trini couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Zordon is ancient. His methods are mysterious,” The Ranger explained. “His goal, however, is to help. It might not be entirely clear even if it is that.”

Trini simply nodded. “Okay, then… I can’t ask you about Zordon.”

“I believe you would only be frustrated.” The Ranger said honestly.

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll deal with Zordon. I’m here for something else anyway.”

“The Dragonzord.” The Ranger concluded.

“Yep,” She nodded. “Are you going to teach me how to control it?”

“Not quite, I am sorry.” The Ranger said, sounding honestly sorry.

“What?” Trini couldn’t believe it. “But I thought that’s the whole reason I had to… commune with the Power Coin.”

“It is one of the steps, you are corrected,” The Ranger walked closer to her. “However, you are you, Brai was Brai. The Dragonzord responds differently depending on the one leading it.”

Trini sighed in frustration. That wasn’t very helpful.

“What am I supposed to do then?” She asked feeling lost.

“First, believe in yourself,” The Ranger put his gloved hand on her shoulder. She could feel it there. “Believe in the Power. Believe in the Green Coin. Believe in the Green Power Ranger.”

“Okay…” That wasn’t vague at all.

“The Dragon Dagger will awaken the Dragonzord,” The Ranger motioned to the weapon in his belt. “After that, reach out to it with your inner Power. Make it understand you.”

She nodded even if she wasn’t completely sure what she was supposed to really do.

“Have faith in the Power, Trini.” The Ranger said. “You are now the Green Power Ranger. The Power is yours.”

And just like that, she was back. She opened her eyes. She was morphed and on top of the building in Japan. She got up, feeling almost as if she wasn’t wearing the right clothes. Maybe her spirit was adjusting to being back in her body? She shook her head.

Taking the Dragon Dagger out of its holster, she brought it near the lips of the helmet. For a minute, she didn’t know how to call the Dragonzord but soon enough, she remembered the melody in her meditation. Inside her, she knew why it sounded familiar.

The song began. It echoed through the docks. She kept playing, her eyes glued to the ocean, waiting for any sign of change. She didn’t know exactly what to expect. She didn’t even know how the Dragonzord would appear. All she knew was that it would come. Somehow, she could feel it.

Time passed. She didn’t stop playing the melody. After what felt like a whole eternity, the water near the dock began to bubble. More and more bubbles formed as the melody continued.

Trini began feeling anxiety building up inside her but she couldn’t let that stop her.

The Dragonzord was coming.

\--

Rita could feel it. The waves of magick and powers were changing. Worse was, she recognized this feeling, even after thousands of year without feeling it. She moved to the balcony, looking in her telescope, knowing exactly where to look.

There she was. The Green Ranger, next to the sea of the country called Japan, playing that damned harmony as the Dragonzord slowly but surely emerged from the depths of the sea.

“Goldar!” She shrieked. “Finster! Baboo! Squatt!”

All four of her followers appeared as fast as they could. They kneeled in front of her as she turned to them, fury clear on her face. “That cursed Ranger! She found it!”

“Found what, my Mistress?” Baboo asked innocently.

“The Dragonzord!” She screamed. “What else could she have found that would make this enraged?”

“The Dragonzord?” Goldar asked. “How could she? I thought… it was hidden even from Zordon.”

“They found it even so!” Rita said, walking back and forth on her balcony. “We must stop her. If she has that Zord, she will put us at a disadvantage.”

“What can we do?” Finster asked. “Send Monsters-”

“It’s out of the question!” She said before he could finish. “I need to save my magicks for the ritual with the altar.”

“Send me then, Mistress,” Goldar pleaded. “I will fight her before she can acquire full control of the Dragonzord.”

Rita seemed to be considering Goldar’s offer. She glimpsed back at Earth. The Dragonzord hadn’t come out yet, but she could tell in minutes, the people of the other country would be seeing the head of the Zord.

The energy around to place was changing with each passing moment. She could feel the Power synchronizing with the Dragonzord. Magicks from unknown sources stirred as well and… and… this feeling… it couldn’t be…

“Scorpina?” She wondered aloud, which made Goldar stand up in a hurry and the others gasp.

“Mistress?” Goldar walked to stand behind her. “Why did you say her name?”

She looked at him. While he expected her to be mad he was so close, she, in fact, looked confused. “I… I felt an energy similar to her. The same kind of magick I once bequeathed her.”

“She was lost.” Goldar said as if everyone in that room had forgotten the woman the warrior once loved had disappeared millennia ago during the last of their fights against Zordon.

“I had…” Rita searched inside her long memories of that so distant past. “She had gone after Zordon’s Ranger, to finish him and… but she never returned. I assumed he had slain her.”

“If I may, my Mistress,” Finster piped in. “Scorpina had the power to conceal herself in a type of cocoon to protect herself from harm. Perhaps, during her fight back then, she did just that.

Finster **was** right. It was part of the magick that had given her her armor. All these centuries. Could it really mean her general was there, in the same place as the Green Ranger’s Zord?

“Mistress, I plead you,” Goldar begged. “Let me go down there. I will stop the Green Ranger and find Scorpina.”

“She will need magick to awaken,” She explained. “I cannot give it to her and we cannot use the Power as a form for her to escape.”

“Channeled fear,” Squatt said suddenly, making all turn to him. He looked at Baboo. “A potion that will raise the fear of the population and turn into usable channeled energy. We can use it to awake Scorpina.”

“A Fear Potion,” Baboo considered his companion’s idea. “I can brew one in minutes, my Mistress.”

Goldar turned hopeful to her. Rita considered all of it. “Unless the Zord attacks the citizens, Goldar by himself won’t cause enough fear. As much as I want Scorpina back, I can’t risk my magick by sending a Monster or a patrol of Putties with him.”

“Scrap Putties then, my Mistress,” Finster offered. “We can use scrapped magickal clay to create them just to outnumber the Green Ranger and harass the population.”

“If I move quickly, she also won’t have full control of her Zord, which could result in it running wild.” Goldar added. The desperation in his voice was clear.

Rita looked at her followers. Goldar attacking and Putties scaring people plus the Fear Potion would result in energy that could be used to awaken Scorpina. She smiled wickedly. What was that the humans say about two birds and one stone?

“Mistress?” Goldar asked seeing her smile.

“Squatt, fetch a channeling crystal from out of our antiques’ room,” She told him. “The biggest one you can find there. Baboo, brew the biggest batch of potion your ingredient can provide. Finster, begin working on these scrap Putties, and Goldar, prepare yourself. You will fight the Green Ranger and attack those around but most importantly, you will bring Scorpina back to us.”

They all cheered. This would be a glorious day.

\--

The waves from the sea began to strike the docks. The even soon brought attention to it. Some dock workers looked from afar as a hole in the sea bubbled and splashed water to all sides. Soon, a mechanic noise began to echo from it.

Trini’s breathing stopped from a second. It worked. It actually worked! The Dragonzord… she needed to continue playing the Dagger. She could feel the Power emanating from where it would emerge.

A large wave crashed, making many workers back away and shout but what shocked them was what had just come out of the ocean, and Trini was in awe. The Dragonzord stood there, water dripping from it. The Green Ranger looked at her Zord. It reminded her of a dragon, in a way, but she couldn’t help to compare it to… Godzilla. She actually considered if maybe, somehow, it had inspired the Japanese. She shook her head, deciding to approach it.

She jumped back at the docks. The workers talked among themselves, pointing at her. She didn’t really know if they knew of her, but now was not the time for this. She ignored them for the time being and walked slowly towards the large Zord. It hadn’t moved, just stood there. Zordon had said the Zord was semi-sentient. However, it was simply standing there.

“Hum,” The Green Ranger stopped a few feet away from it. “How do I do this?”

The Zord kept not moving.

“Dragonzord?” Her voice was low. Nothing happened. She cleared her throat, preparing to shout. “Dragonzord!”

Nothing.

Okay. Maybe the Dragon Dagger could help. She once again put the Dagger against her helmet’s lip and played the same melody. The tones echoed louder and then something happened. The five lights in the Zord’s round chest glowed red and its eyes seemingly turned on, emitting the same light.

“I guess now you are awake,” The Green Ranger said to herself. “Should I continue playing?”

She played a few more notes, making the Zord look at her. It didn’t make any noise or any sort of different movement. It just stood there again, now looking right at her. Maybe it was trying to recognize her. Could she… simply talk to it?

“Dragonzord,” She said loud enough, not knowing if it could hear her. “I’m the Green Ranger.”

The statement made it stood up, disturbing the water and making it crash against the pier. The Green Ranger took a few steps back. She wasn’t sure if that was good.

“I don’t know if you can, hum, understand what I’m saying,” She told the Zord. “But… I’m the Green Ranger now. It’s been a long time since you went to slumber. Brai-”

The name made the Zord roar.

“Okay, okay!” The Ranger raised her arms. She glimpsed at the workers. They seemed scared but they weren’t moving away and from behind them, she could see other people had already noticed the giant robot on the water. “Great, an audience.”

She walked closer to the Zord, her arms still up. “Look, you recognized the name of your previous… hum, owner? No, that’s not it. Your last partner, didn’t you?”

The Zord leaned in, seemingly understanding her.

 _Good_. She thought. “I’m sorry that he’s not here. You don’t know me but I am the Green Ranger now. Do you understand?”

The Zord didn’t move.

“Great. How am I going to make a giant robot want to obey me?” She wondered.

\--

Back at the Command Center, Zordon and Alpha watched Trini and the Dragonzord.

“She did it!” Alpha 05 announced happily. “She found the Dragonzord and awoke it.”

Zordon nodded. “She still has to control it.”

Alpha turned to him. “Will it be too difficult? The Dragon Dagger is a Weapon of Power but it was designed to work as a way to control it, was it not?”

“Yes,” Zordon kept watching the Globe. “However, a Zord with no master for such a long time might have more… attitude.”

Alpha turned back to the Globe, tilting its head. “I believe in her.”

“So do I.” Zordon said earnestly.

“Good luck, Trini.” Alpha said.

\--

It wasn’t moving. At least, it wasn’t going back on the water. The Green Ranger put her hands on her hips. She knew it could understand, even if only a little. She looked at the Dragon Dagger, thinking of something. She raised it high enough for the Zord to see it.

“You recognized this, don’t you?” She asked.

The Zord looked at the Dagger and once again, roared. It was already clear to say that it was not the best sound.

“Okay, calm down!” She shouted. “I didn’t steal it from Brai if that is what you are thinking!”

More roaring. The Japanese were now behind in droves, shouting. Great. Why did she have to come here in the middle of the afternoon? Damn you, time zones.

“Zordon chose me!” She said. “Zordon! You know him, right! Do you remember him?”

That didn’t make it roar, just stare at her. She didn’t know if the Zord had the same opinion on Zordon. Man, she really needed to sit down and talk to her mentor about everything.

“Look, just, calm down,” She asked with a nicer voice. “I’m not here as your enemy. I want to be your ally but for me to do that you have to cooperate with me. Okay?”

No response.

She sighed. She had to call Zordon. He had to know something more about putting the Zord under her control. Wait… Zord. Zordon… Did he… make it? Coincidence? She didn’t think so. Not with Zordon.

She raised her wrist to communicate with the Command Center when she heard the screams. Now they were screams of terror. She looked at the stopped Zord before turning back to where the people were.

Crap.

Goldar? When did he show up? Why didn’t Zordon warn her? And what were those Putties? They all seemed… deformed. The warrior looked at the Ranger before telling the Putties to attack the now larger number of citizens there.

“I heard you were on time out!” The Green Ranger yelled in rage as her Dragon Dagger crashed with Goldar’s sword.

“Special assignment,” Goldar said horrifyingly happily. He looked at the Zord. “Long time since I saw that piece of junk.”

She turned to look at the Zord and immediately regretted it. Goldar moved her arm with the Dagger away and pushed her back, slashing her with his sword. Sparks flew and she fell to the floor, the Dagger rolling out of her reach.

That didn’t make the Dragonzord happy.

It moved his upper torso from one side to the other, roaring ferociously. The lights on its chest were now blinking rapidly. From its fingers to the Green Ranger’s shock, she saw what looked like missiles coming out of it.

“No!” She yelled to the Zord. “Don’t attack! I can handle them-ugh!”

Goldar stepped on her back, making sure she stayed on the ground. “Today is not your day, Green Ranger.”

“As if I already don’t know that, and I’m basically relieving it in time,” She whispered to herself before calling out to the Zord. “Dragonzord, don’t do anything! Please!”

“A beast must act like a best,” Goldar noted with a snarl. “Hey, you giant piece of alien metal trash. You definitely remember me and my Putties over there right.”

The people were running, falling, and screaming in fear as the Putties ‘attacked’ them, sort of. They seemed to be there to scare them if anything. What was Goldar planning?

Whatever it was, she needed to figure it out later, because the Dragonzord was finally moving. Towards them.

The pier broke down as the Dragonzord metal legs moved, trying to get close to the battle. The Zord kept roaring. From behind a long tail with a freaking drill on the tip of it came, drilling away the buildings, making debris fall down.

“No!” She forced herself to stand up but Goldar stepped on her harder.

“Not every day you see a Zord destroying what it is supposed to protect.” Goldar was too amused for her liking.

“Goldar?” The warrior looked down at her. “Eat this! **Ngọc Rồng!** ”

The green ball of Power made Goldar fly off her. She got up quickly and waved with both arms to the Zord. “You can stop this! You are only putting these people in more danger!”

The Dragonzord kept moving, slowly, but it kept coming, destroying the pier more and more. Its waggling tail wasn’t helping either.

She ran to where the Dagger was and took use of it, playing the melody of the Zord, hoping it would make it stop. The Zord stopped. So the Green Ranger stopped. Bad idea. The screams of the civilians only made the Zord continue attacking.

“No!” The Green Ranger yelled. “I command you to stop!”

The Zord didn’t listen to her.

“Goddamit!” She swore. She turned to the civilians and glanced at the Zord one last time, before running towards them.

She pulled the Putties away from them, and with few punches, they disintegrated. What kind Putties were these? She continued trying take out as many she could, but chaos had settled. The screams of the people only got louder as the Dragonzord kept demolishing the dock.

<Calm down, everyone!> The Green Ranger yelled. Wait. Did she just speak in Japanese? The people seemed to understand her. Well then. <You all need to leave this area immediately! These creatures? See how they fall down with a punch? You can attack them to escape. You have to go! Now!>

And to her surprise, it had worked. The people started fighting back the weaker Putties, making many of them fall and started running away from the scene. What Trini didn’t expect was more of these Putties waiting for them on the streets right in front of the docks.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She exhaled.

She turned to the Dragonzord and her sixth sense was right. Her eyes bulged when she saw the missiles from the tips of the Zord’s hands flying towards the distance, blowing up building and houses!

“No!” She ran towards it. “Stop it! You are making these people scared to death! You are killing them!”

The Dragonzord kept roaring.

She didn’t know what to do. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Goldar standing up. In his hands, he had a giant vial of a reddish-black liquid. He opened the lid and threw the whole vial on the floor. From the spilled liquid, a dark cloud rose from it and moved above the frightened citizens.

“What the hell are you doing?!” The Green Ranger yelled as the slashed Goldar, making him take a few steps back.

“You are in for a surprise, Ranger.” He laughed manically.

“Tell me what you just did!” She tried to attack him again with her Dagger, but he blocked it.

“Shouldn’t you be worried about your Zord?” He motioned with his head to the still distressed Zord.

The Green Ranger groaned. She delivered a high kick right into Goldar’s face, making him fall on the floor in surprise. She saw the cloud sucking strange vapors from the screaming people, increasing the mass of the cloud. It was collecting something from them.

“Trini!” Alpha’s voice came from her Communicator.

“Alpha!” She sighed in relief. “Where’s Zordon? Are you guys seeing this? Everything turned into a gigantic mess.”

“I am here, Trini.” She heard Zordon’s voice.

“What do I do?!” She said in desperation. “I can’t control the Dragonzord and Goldar is using some weird cloud that I don’t know what is doing!”

“Calm yourself first, Trini.” Zordon said calmly.

“I don’t have time for your Zen bullshit now Zordon!” She yelled. “Give me an actual solution! Now!”

Silent from the Communicator for a moment. “Trini, destroy the cloud first.”

She said nothing to Zordon; she simply raised her Dragon Dagger. The blade began to glow. She hoped it would work on the cloud and not only on the Putties. “ **ÁnhSángCủa Rồng!** ”

The strong green light shot out of the Dagger, hitting the Putties and the cloud. The Putties all disappeared in a second, but cloud remained.

“Shit!” She cursed. She put away the Dragon Dagger and prepared to use her Ngọc Rồng on it.

Before she could summon her attack, she heard Goldar murmuring. She turned to face him and saw that now he was holding a large clear crystal. Whatever it was, she had to destroy it. She started to focus her energy… but she flew a few feet away from an explosion caused by the Dragonzord.

She struggled a bit to get up. _Great, now I’ll definitely be considered some sort of terrorist._

She got up and saw that the cloud had disappeared. All citizens had fled the scene. She looked at the Dragonzord. It still roared but, now, it was looking at Goldar. Good, maybe now it would attack the enemy.

“Trini,” Zordon’s voice came from her wrist but she ignored it. “Trini, listen to me. Whatever Goldar collected in that crystal, its readings are high, you need to-”

“ **BóngCủa Rồng!** ” In one swift move, she used her most powerful attack with the help of the Dragon Dagger. The dark dragon hit Goldar, sending the flying monkey miles away with the crystal, where Trini couldn’t see him.

She fell to her knees, feeling drained. Her powers, however, weren’t giving in like the previous times. At least, that was good.

She turned to look at the Dragonzord, now quiet and not moving. It turned its head to her, almost as if judging her somehow. In the blink of an eye, the Dragonzord dove back into the ocean, disappearing.

“Wait!” The Green Ranger got up. She put her hands on her knees, trying to breathe normally. She didn’t de-morph, but that still took a lot of energy from her. She raised her Communicator.

“The Dragonzord,” She coughed. “It just… disappeared.”

“It didn’t disappear, Trini,” Alpha told her. “We are tracking it. It’s swimming away.”

“Away?” So it was on the move. “Well, where is going? We have to find it before it causes more destruction.”

“I doubt it will do that now,” Zordon said, making Trini sigh in annoyance. “We assure you, it will not cause any trouble.”

“I…” She wanted to go after it but she had to take some time. She needed to regain energy.

“Teleport back to the Command Center.” Zordon said simply, almost with a tone of an order.

Trini said nothing. She looked around, seeing all the destruction the Dragonzord made. Tears fell from her eyes.

She was about to teleport away when…

The crystal. The one Goldar had, came floating towards the place. It hovered above the destruction for a while before it started emitting a strange humming sound. She heard static interference from her Communicator.

The crystal exploded into thousands of pieces and the dark energy that looked like a heavy mass of something fell to the floor, melting into it. Few seconds pass without nothing happening when the stained spot started to crack. The Green Ranger took a few steps back as the cracks grew larger.

Finally, a big circle of cracks had formed. She was about to investigate when a giant boulder came crashing up from the ground. It fell in another part of the floor. The Green Ranger couldn’t help but notice that the boulder seemed to be… breathing. It moved like a chest, rising and falling. Suddenly, a scorpion, probably the biggest one Trini had ever seen in her life, crawled towards the moving part of the boulder.

“What in world…” Before she could finish her sentence, the boulder exploded with a blinding bright yellow light. From it, a golden blur rushed past the Green Ranger, knocking her back. She realized she could hear a feminine laughter.

She got up to see the light taking the form of what looked like a humanoid figure. The light died out and in its place, stood a woman, a human woman, covered in gold armor. One of her arms were completely covered while the other wasn’t but it held a big curved blade. Her face was Asian as far Trini could tell. Her head was covered in gold armor too but long black hair hung freely from it.

“Who are you?” The Green Ranger asked. She wasn’t one of Rita’s Monster, that much was clear. Another being the sorceress had summoned to fight her then? Yet, somehow, her armor… looked strangely familiar.

<Green Ranger!> The woman screamed and moved into an attacking stance.

The Green Ranger did the same. She didn’t speak English or even Japanese for that matter, but Trini recognized the word ‘Ranger’. She knew who she was.

<I thought I had killed you,> She kept talking as moved like a skilled fighter. <Or at least, delivered a blow enough to make you die after what you did to me.>

Whatever language she was speaking, the Green Ranger couldn’t understand.

“Trini!” Zordon yelled from the Communicator. “You need to come back immediately!”

“Zordon, who is she?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the new opponent.

“Scorpina…” She heard a voice coming from an alleyway. From it, Goldar appeared. He looked vastly damaged, with his armor partly destroyed but still alive. Trini imagined he would survive her strongest attack, but still…

<Goldar?> The woman moved to help him up. <Goldar, what are you doing here? Where are we? Why is the Green Ranger alive?>

<I will explain it,> Goldar spoke in the same strange language. <But we must return to the palace.>

<The palace?> The woman seemed confused. <What are you talking about?>

<Rita’s palace,> He explained. <It stands again. She’s free, like me.>

The woman smiled in glee. <Our Mistress!>

<We have to leave, now.> Goldar told her as he eyed the Green Ranger.

Trusting her instincts, the Green Ranger began to move towards the two. “I don’t know what you are saying, but you two are not leaving.”

“You don’t know who you are dealing with, Green Ranger.” Goldar said.

Before the Green Ranger could retort, the woman attacked her swiftly, slashing her with her strange-looking blade. Trini was caught by surprise that she suffered several blows before the woman threw away from the two.

<You are not him,> The woman said. <A new one then. It explains.>

<Scorpina,> Goldar called her. <Leave her. There will be more chances to kill her. Now, we must go.>

The woman took Goldar and gave the fallen Green Ranger one last look. <Her then, huh?>

The two teleported away.

The Green Ranger moved and sat up, her heart racing and her whole body aching. She looked at where the two were and then to the sea, where the Dragonzord had disappeared to. She needed to find it.

“We are teleporting you now, Trini.” Alpha spoke.

“No,” She struggled to be on her feet. “The Dragonzord…”

“You are leaving now, Trini.” Zordon said with a final tone and with that, they teleported her away from the destruction left on one of the docks in Japan.

\--

As soon as she returned to the Command Center, she collapsed on the floor, sitting down. Her Ranger Armor Suit finally gave away and she de-morphed. Alpha approached her and she offered him a smile.

“I’m okay,” She said. “In pain, but I can handle it.”

“You went way beyond your limits, Trini,” The robot told her. “Lucky for you, Goldar and Scorpina left before they could… do something worse to you.”

“Wait, Scorpina?” She looked at Alpha confused and then turned to Zordon who was watching her quietly. “You know who that woman was?”

“Yes,” Zordon confirmed. “Her name is Scorpina. She was a general to Rita, much like Goldar, ten thousand years ago.”

Trini huffed in annoyance. “And… it never crossed your mind to mention her to me?”

“She was not with Rita and her followers when I sealed her.” Zordon reasoned.

“What about the fact she was apparently buried right next to where the Dragonzord was? **That** didn’t seem like something I should know?”

“Trini,” Alpha touched her arm. “We did not know she was there.”

“What?” She couldn’t believe it.

“The last time she fought, she went after the Green Ranger while I confronted Rita,” Zordon explained. “I assumed he had destroyed her, not sealed her away.”

Trini laughed, shaking her head. “Brai didn’t tell you what happened then. You always had horrible communication with your Rangers then.”

Zordon was clearly surprised at the mention of the previous Green Ranger. “You met him when you commuted with the Green Power Coin.”

“A part of him,” Trini said. “He didn’t tell me much either. Is this a thing you people from Eltar do? Keep important information from your allies who clearly need it?”

“Trini,” Zordon began but Trini continued talking.

“No, Zordon. I am **tired** of your excuses!” She said loudly. “First, you don’t tell me about this Dragonzord, then you don’t tell me about the scope of Rita’s power, then not that she had other people working directly under her here on Earth, and when I needed you the most with the Dragonzord, you did **nothing**!”

“Trini, I understand you are upset.” Zordon remained calm.

“Upset? Upset?!” She yelled. “I am pissed off!”

“Trini, calm down, please!” Alpha pleaded to the Ranger.

“No!” She told both of them. “I had enough of your secrecy and your stupid reasons for keeping things from me! You chose me but you don’t tell me what I am supposed to do? You don’t tell me everything I need to know? What am I, your freaking **puppet**?!”

“Trini-”

“Save it!” Trini told Zordon. “Unless you are about to tell me **everything** , then I don’t want to hear it.”

Zordon remained silent.

Trini scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

“Trini,” Alpha said. “Please, try to understand Zordon.”

“Where is the Dragonzord?” She ignored Alpha’s words. “You said you were tracking it. Where did it go?”

“Hum,” The robot looked at the panels of the Command Center. “You should rest first, Trini.”

“Tell me where the Dragonzord is, Alpha.” She said seriously. Neither Zordon nor Alpha ever heard her talk like that.

Alpha looked at Zordon, who simply nodded. “It has already left the Sea of Japan. It moved through the East China Sea, avoiding Okinawa. Then it moved through the Philippine Sea but it changed course and now, it’s moving through the South China Sea.”

Trini tried to picture it in her head. “Where is it going?”

“To Vietnam,” Zordon said. “From the movements and course we analyzed from it, it’s going to the shores of Saigon, more precisely.”

Trini was speechless. The Dragonzord was going…

“You seemed to have connected with him after all.” Zordon said.

Trini didn’t say anything.

“Here,” Alpha gave her a bottle of a neon orange liquid. “It’s not soda or any of your human’s energy drinks. It’s an Eltarian formula made to reinforce you while you rest. Once you wake up, you feel completely energized, more than usual.”

“Thanks.” She said quietly.

“Go home and rest,” Alpha said. The robot knew she wouldn’t listen to Zordon right now. “Tomorrow, we will resume everything.”

She simply nodded and teleported away.

Alpha kept looking at where she was just a second ago and looked up at Zordon. The Eltarian said nothing. He simply closed his eyes. With that, Alpha returned to his work.

\--

Trini teleported back to her room, feeling exhausted. She sat down on her bed, trying to process every single thing it happened on the one day. She began crying again. Not wanting to feel anything, she took off the lid of the liquid Alpha gave her and drank all of it. She didn’t know how much she was supposed to take it but she didn’t care.

After today, all she wanted was to sleep.

\--

As she opened her eyes, faint memories of her dreams still lingered in her head. The Dragonzord, Scorpina, the Green Ranger ghost…

She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and almost let out a scream. She bolted up from her bed. It was almost one in the afternoon. On Monday!

She had slept all Sunday long! And most of the following day too!

She looked at the empty bottle Alpha had given her. Maybe she wasn’t supposed to have drunk all of it in a go?

How come her parents didn’t… Oh… Crap! She had completely forgotten her parents would be out of town. Her father had told her they would leave early on Sunday morning so they wouldn’t wake her up. They also would never imagine she would be passed out for so long.

This was bad. This was really bad. She had missed school. She couldn’t afford to do that, especially the way her grades were going.

She rushed out of her room, still wearing the same clothes she wore on she left Billy’s house and went downstairs. She checked the phone and saw the answering machine informing there were two messages on it. She pressed the play button.

“Hello, this is from Angel Grove High, I’m calling-” She pressed paused. She didn’t need to hear the rest of the message. The school had called because of her not-explained absence. She quickly erased it. She already had to find a way to deal with school. She didn’t need to add dealing with her parents to the list.

She played the other message.

“Hey, Trini,” It was her father’s voice. “I’m just calling to let you know we arrived safely. I know you are in school right now but give us a call once you get home, okay? We left the number of the place we’re staying in the fridge. Take care, honey.”

She sighed. With everything that had happened, her parents’ trip completely slipped her mind. Well, at least they weren’t around. She had no idea what excuse she could come up with to explain her sleeping for almost two days without stop.

 _Focus, Trini._ She thought. One thing a time. The first thing she needed to deal was with the fact that there was a giant dragon robot in Saigon and with her oversleeping, it had probably made a mess there.

She grabbed the remote control and turned the TV, going through the news channels to see if she could find anything about it. One showed news of the destruction in Japan. No had died, apparently, but many were injured and taken to the hospital. It made her feel less horrible for letting that happen. She continued flipping through channels, but nothing about the Dragonzord being somewhere else. Strange.

She had to talk to Alpha and Zordon. She was still mad but there were other things of more importance than her mentor’s attitude.

“Alpha?” She talked into her Communicator. “Do you read me?”

“Trini!” The robot responded immediately. “You are awake! How are you feeling?”

“Great, actually,” She didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, she felt completely energized. “I think I drank too much of your energy drink though.”

“I assumed, with the time you spent sleeping.” The robot concurred.

“Well, why didn’t you wake me? Called me on the Communicator? I lost a whole day!” She complained.

“Well, we thought…” The robot seemed worried about upsetting her more. “You needed rest, Trini. You went through a lot.”

“Still,” She sighed. “I have my personal life, Alpha. I need to think how I’m going to deal with school.”

“We can try to figure something out.” The robot offered.

“Later,” She shook her head. “I’m teleporting there. We need to deal with the Dragonzord.”

Before Alpha could say anything, she already teleported.

She arrived at the Command Center. She looked at Zordon, who gave her a short nod. She exhaled, not really wanting to talk to him right now. She turned to Alpha.

“What’s the status of the Dragonzord?” She asked. “You said it was heading to Saigon but I didn’t see anything on TV about it resurfacing there.”

“It’s because it didn’t,” Alpha told her. The robot pressed some buttons and showed a map on the Viewing Globe. A blinking dot was in front of where Saigon was. “It is there, well, under the ocean near it, but it hasn’t moved ever since it arrived there.”

“Why?” She kept looking at the what.

“Perhaps it is waiting for you.” Zordon said finally.

Trini turned to face him. She crossed her arms. “Why would it do that?”

“Trini, the Dragonzord is not a destruction machine. It wouldn’t go there to cause any trouble.” He explained.

“What about what happened in Japan?” She asked. “It seemed pretty destructive to me.”

“I can’t quite explain its behavior. However, it must have recognized Goldar and the Putties. After being slumbering for so long, it quite like was confused and attacked without any regard.” Zordon said.

Trini sighed in annoyance. “What can you tell me that will actually help me control it, Zordon? I don’t want it to destroy my… to do the same thing it did in Japan.”

“The Zord can only be controlled by the connection between it and you,” He said. “You already connected to it to a degree. Why else would it go to where it is now?”

Trini didn’t answer to that.

“All you need now is to complete the bond with it, Trini. I believe you can do it now that your mind is clearer.” Zordon said with confidence.

“Clearer?” She chuckled with no humor. “I missed school, Zordon. It might not seem to you but it’s a big deal to me.”

“Trini,” Zordon began responding but she raised a hand, indicating she didn’t want to hear it.

“Alpha,” She approached one of the panels. “Can you call a cellular phone from here?”

“Hum,” The robot seemed confused at the request. “I can do that. I will just readjust some connection waves. You can use that part of the panel to dial the number, and here, speak on this microphone.”

A microphone expanded from the panel. Trini thanked the robot. She dialed the number. She heard the tone before it got picked up. She inhaled. She hated doing this, but it was the only way now.

“Hello?” Zack’s voice sounded confused. “Who is this?”

“Zack, it’s me.” She spoke with her mouth near the microphone.

“Trini?!” He said, his tone changing completely. “Why are you calling me here? Where the heck are you? Lunch already ended and nobody saw you in school today. What’s happening?”

She closed her eyes. She hated herself.

“Zack, I have to be quick,” She said. “I need you to cover for me, okay?”

“Cover for you?” He was mad. “Trini. What the… What do you even want me to say?”

“You can figure something out, can’t you?” She pleaded. “I have to go. Thank you, Zack, I owe you.”

She heard Zack beginning to say something but she hung up the line.  She would deal with him and the consequences of what she just did later. Now, she had a giant robot to make her own.

“I’m heading there,” She told Alpha and Zordon. “Keep an eye out for Rita this time? I don’t want to get surprised again.”

“I highly doubt Goldar is in any shape for combat.” Zordon said.

“What about Scorpina?” She asked. The woman was tough. She didn’t want her there.

“If we see any sign of teleportation, we’ll let you know.” Alpha told her.

She nodded. She eyed Zordon seriously, stepping closer to his tube.

“You really have nothing else to say to me about the Dragonzord?” She asked.

“I told all you need to know about it, Trini,” Zordon said patiently. “You might think I am withholding information. However, I urge you to believe me when I tell you that you already have all you need to deal with the Dragonzord.”

Trini huffed. She didn’t believe him. That much she knew he could tell.

“Didn’t you create it?” She asked suddenly.

“Did I created it?” Zordon asked confused. “If you mean the Dragonzord, no, Trini, it is not my creation.”

“Why is it called a ‘Zord’ then?” She asked with an eyebrow raised.

Zordon smiled. “You are trying to understand the connection of my own name to the word ‘Zord’, is that it?”

“Hum, yeah.” She said.

“The word ‘Zord’ is from an ancient Eltarian dialect,” He began to explain. “My name is actually derived from it, not the other way around.”

“Oh,” She blinked. It made sense, she guessed. “What does it mean?”

“My name?” Zordon asked.

“Yeah, and Zord.” She added.

“My names means ‘One from the Higher Ones’,” Zordon told her. “As for Zord, it means ‘Higher One’.”

“Higher One?” She was confused. Was it because of the size of the robot?

“It is how the Eltarian used to refer to their gods.” Alpha explained.

“Wait,” Her eyes bulged. “Are you telling me the Dragonzord is… some sort of Eltarian god?”

“No,” Zordon laughed a bit. “When they first Zords were made in Eltar, they were given this name as a homage. The Dragonzord and any other Zord are machines, first and foremost. They are powerful and connected to the Power and the Morphing Grid. They are not gods, though.”

Trini nodded in silence. This was the first time Zordon had told her **anything** about his home planet besides the name of it.

“Well, thanks, I guess,” She offered Zordon a quick smile. “I have to go now.”

“Good luck, Trini!” Alpha cheered her on. “I know this time you will do it.”

“May the Power be with you, Trini.” Zordon said.

She nodded to both and teleported out.

\--

She arrived at the shores of the East Sea. The beach was deserted. She made the math in her head. It was way past midnight here. She allowed herself to appreciate the view for a moment, her heart beating a bit faster. She didn’t recall ever being on this particular beach, still… it was part of her home.

She inhaled the sea breeze and exhaled. She would stay here forever if she wanted. Things weren’t that simple, unfortunately.

She summoned her Power Morpher. “ **It’s Morphin’ Time! Dragonzord!** ”

She took out the Dragon Dagger and began playing the summoning melody. If the Dragonzord was here just waiting for here, maybe this time it would be easier.

Not long after she began, the giant Zord emerged from the waters. Once again, it simply stood there, seemingly watching her.

“Right,” She said to herself. “Connect.”

The Green Ranger stood with her feet practically on the sea. She looked up at the Zord. She tightened her grip on the Dragon Dagger.

“I don’t know how to do this, to be honest,” She said a bit louder, hoping the Zord could hear her. “I know you understand me, sorta, I guess.”

No reaction from the Zord.

“Listen,” She really didn’t know what to do. “I am the Green Ranger now. You might not like it but it is what it is. Brai has been gone for a long time and you have been asleep for that whole time too.”

The Zord moved its head slightly, almost as if it were paying attention to Trini’s words.

“I didn’t know him and, well, I don’t know you… or even if you have a personality to know,” She said trying to figure out how to talk to a machine. “But I understand you have a will of your own.”

The Dragonzord kept staring at her. At least it seemed willing to listen.

“You saw Goldar and the Putties,” She said. “Rita is back. You probably fought her Monsters ten thousand years ago. And yeah, it’s been that long. I don’t know if you can tell time or see any difference in it. The point is that I need you. I need your help. She’s getting stronger. Once she is able to make her Monster grow, I’ll need you.”

Nothing.

“Look, do I need to pass some sort of test of yours to be worthy or something?” She asked. “Zordon told me I have everything to bond with you and I think I might have already made it somehow because…”

She motioned around her. “Why would you be here? Why did you come to the place where I was born?”

The Zord moved its head to look at the city way behind the Green Ranger.

“Yeah, I was born there but I haven’t been here for years,” She said earnestly. “Did you know it was important to me? Is that why you are here? Even if it isn’t… I’m happy.”

She turned away from the Zord, taking a few steps into the beach.

“I got to be here, even if it is just for a bit,” She smiled behind her helmet. “I guess I have to thank you.”

She turned back to face the Dragonzord.

“All I want is for you not to go crazy and damage or destroy anything here,” She said. “I know you didn’t mean to do what you did in Japan but… I won’t allow you to do anything remotely similar here, do you understand?”

The Zord looked at her again.

“This…,” She inhaled. “This is my home. One home, actually. Angel Grove is my other home. Rita attacks it almost every day. I need an ally and, well, that’s you.”

A strange noise came from the Zord’s mouth. Did it… just talked to her?

“What…?” She wondered. Suddenly, her Power Coin began to glow as did the same image in her Dragon Dagger.

The Dragonzord began to glow green. When it became completely consumed by the green light, it disappeared, leaving behind only small green sparkles.

“What,” She blinked several times. Her Coin and Dagger had stopped glowing. “What just happened?”

“The bond is now yours.” She turned around to see a ghostly form. It was the same male-looking Green Ranger from before.

“Brai…?” She tried tentatively.

“Nice to meet you, Trini,” The male Green Ranger said. “Although, we sort of already met when you were in the Morphing Grid. I’m just more of me here than there.”

“What?” She was completely confused.

“I don’t want to confuse you,” He said. “You probably already are. Well, let’s make things simpler, shall we?”

“Hum,” She cleared her throat. “I would like that. Please.”

“You and the Dragonzord are connected now. It didn’t disappear. It went to the Morphing Grid. When the time comes for you to use it, you can summon it with your Dragon Dagger. You already know the melody for it.” He explained.

“Right.” She said glimpsing at the Dagger on her hand.

“I’m a ghost, I suppose you could call me that,” He offered. “When you talked to the Green Ranger in the Morphing Grid, it was an amalgamation of me and the Green Power. Do you understand?”

“I think so.” She said. It wasn’t so hard to figure out what he was explaining.

“Me here, now, it’s… what’s left of me,” He said. “I take this form because is what he share in common.”

“Are you just a giant floating head too?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

“A… giant floating head?” He was confused. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, you are Eltarian, aren’t you? Zordon is Eltarian and he is a giant floating head.” She explained.

“Oh, I see,” He nodded. “No, I’m not like Zordon. That form, I presume, is because of what Rita did to him. Eltarians actually do look like your species of human beings.”

Zordon never told her that.

“He… hum, he explained to me once that she put him in a time warp.” She said.

“He lost his physical body because of that, I assume,” He said. “Well, I would imagine he probably didn’t explain very much to you.”

“He doesn’t tell me much,” She said somewhat upset. “Or anything at all.”

“He hasn’t changed then,” He made a noise similar to a laugh. “Don’t worry, Trini. He might not be straightforward with you, but you can trust him.”

“Can I?” She asked honestly.

“You can,” He said with the same tone of honesty. “He wants to save this planet from Rita and he entrusted you with the Green Ranger’s powers. He does things as he believes they should be done. He’s… quite particular.”

Trini actually chuckled. “Was he like that when you were, hum, alive?”

“He was,” He nodded. “He has trust issues, even with his Rangers. Give him time. He will be more open, but, I can honestly tell you that he won’t share everything with you, no matter how much you want it. He doesn’t like to talk about his failures.”

 _Failures, huh?_ She thought. “Well, I guess I will just have to wait, then?”

“It’s what I did,” He told her. “It might seem it didn’t work out for me, but it did. Zordon, back then, didn’t want to kill Rita. I had different opinions. It seems his seal didn’t hold.”

“She was freed by accident.” She said. Zordon probably didn’t think two astronauts would be able to free the space sorceress.

“I see,” He said quietly. “Well, you are the Green Ranger now. I have faith you will be victorious.”

“You really think that?” She asked. He was, after all, her predecessor.

“I know so,” He told her confidently. “May the Power be with you, Trini Kwan, Green Ranger of Earth.”

And with that, he vanished.

Trini sighed. She did want to talk to him more but she didn’t know the rules or even how he was able to communicate with her now. Probably something to do with the Dragonzord. In any case, she was glad she had the chance.

She was about to teleport back but she stopped herself.

She looked at the city in the horizon. She already had to deal with things back in Angel Grove anyway. The Dragonzord was on her side now. Maybe she deserved something for herself. Like visiting her old neighborhood where she lived when she was very little.

Smiling to herself, she went to do exactly that.

\--

Rita walked into Finster’s workshop accompanied by Scorpina. The woman looked around, remembering the place she hadn’t been to for so long. Finster bowed to Rita and turned to Scorpina.

“How is Goldar doing?” Finster asked.

Scorpina gave him a look. “He’s healing. He will be ready for combat again soon.”

“That’s good to hear,” Finster said and went back to working on a clay figurine. “Remembering your way through the palace?”

“It is not different,” She said looking at many clay figurines. “We were not based on the moon in the past, however.”

“The planet has changed much,” Rita told her. “As you could see when you awoke. Stationing there would bring us more problems then I would like to deal with.”

“Humans evolved,” She nodded. “Not much, I imagine. Have they discovered how to travel the stars?”

“For very short ranges,” Rita said. “A couple of them discovered that… dumpster sealed us in here on the moon.”

Scorpina hummed. She wasn’t one to ask many questions, especially to Rita. She was her Mistress. That was all that mattered in the end. She lived because of her after all.

“Our worry now is the Green Ranger’s next step,” Rita said angrily. “Her possible conquest of the Zord may change the stakes but I have contingency plans for it already.”

“Mistress, you know her identity, do you not?” Scorpina asked remembering all information had been dumped on her since she set foot on the palace.

“I do.” Rita said eyeing her, seemingly catching on Scorpina’s train of thought.

Scorpina smiled wickedly.

\--

The sound of the bell indicated the end of classes for the day, one that Trini hadn’t attended. She walked through the corridors filled with students, alert and careful to not bump into any teachers who would ask her why she decided to show up right at the end of the school day. She looked for Zack, feeling a discomfort in her chest as she predicted how the talk between them would be.

She glimpsed out of a corner at Zack’s locker but the boy wasn’t there. Shoot. Maybe at Jason’s? She turned around, still trying to go unnoticed. She didn’t have much time left before all students left. As she spotted Jason’s locker from afar, she deflated as there were no signs of either boy. Maybe she should just go home or even to Zack’s house. An apology over the phone was out of the question. She was about to head for the main entrance when she spotted two people. Not the two people she was looking for. **Definitely** not those two.

Tommy and Kimberly. Walking side by side, all smiles. The boy was even carrying her books and her backpack. Great, that’s really what Trini needed right now. She turned around, not wanting to talk to them as they probably also noticed she wasn’t around school today. She decided to just take the back exit.

“Trini!” She heard someone hissing her name. She stopped dead in her tracks, closing her eyes.

She turned to see a very angry-looking Zack walking over to hear, looking around. He stopped a few inches from her, arms crossed and one foot tapping on the floor. Yup, he was pissed.

“Hey, Zack,” She said with a low voice. “I was actually looking for you.”

“Why did you even come here today?” He asked, not holding back on his anger. “I already covered for you and you just decide to show up? What kind of sick game are you playing?”

“I’m not,” She sighed, trying to focus. “I’m not playing anything, Zack, I swear! You know I would never ask you to do this for me if it wasn’t an emergency.”

“Right,” He scoffed. “Emergency? One that, let me take a wild guess, you can’t talk about.”

Trini fidgeted. Sometimes, she hated how much Zack knew her.

“Were you out with them?” Zack asked. “I noticed they didn’t come to school today either. All five of them.”

“No!” She shook her head almost ferociously. “Zack, no! I already told Billy, I’m not involved with them anymore!”

“Then what are you involved that has you lying to your friends?!” He almost screamed. “Trini, remember when I came out to you?”

No. Not this.

“And you did the same?” Zack continued. “And we promised that even if the entire world would be against us, we would be each other’s side, no matter what?”

“I do,” She lowered head. “Of course I do.”

“Do you? Because I think you need a refresher on that,” Zack said with a disappointed tone. “I don’t know what’s going on with you Trini, and honestly, right now? I don’t want to know.”

That… broke Trini’s heart.

“Zack, I-”

“Save it,” He lifted a hand to her. “Billy told me there was something wrong with you. You might not be hanging out with those punks but you are up to something not good. And you don’t get to spill it in my life, in our lives, Trini. We are supposed to be… to be your family, goddammit!”

Zack was huffing. Trini was fighting back tears.

“Tell me, Trini,” Zack practically begged. “What is going on?”

“I,” She closed her eyes. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. “I can’t… tell you.”

Zack shook his head in disbelief. “Of course you can’t. I remember when you used to not be able to tell me what was going on.”

“It’s not that.” She affirmed.

“I just hope I don’t get to see you in rehab clinic again for you to get your shit together.” Zack said, stepping away.

“Zack, please…” Trini couldn’t believe this was happening. Again. And what was worse it was because it wasn’t for the same reason it happened before.

“I just have one thing to say to you,” He leaned in. “Don’t you dare drag Jason into this. Billy and I know better, but Jase it’s too of a soft heart. Leave him out of whatever mess you are in, got it?”

Before she could answer, he left without even looking back.

She screwed it. She screwed it big time with her best friend. Knowing Zack, Billy would be probably going to give her an earful at some point today too. She sighed in defeat. She should just go home. She thought about going to the Command Center but that could wait. The Dragonzord was safe. She could discuss any other procedures to take with Alpha and Zordon some other time.

“Trini?” And she stopped again, cursing silently under her voice. She knew that voice already too well.

“Hey, Tommy.” She turned to the boy, trying her best to smile.

“Everything okay?” He asked. “I didn’t see you around today.”

“Everything is just peachy,” She lied. “What about you? How are things?”

“Oh! I wanted to tell you!” He sounded genuinely excited.

 _Oh, please, don’t be what I’m thinking he's about to tell me._ She thought as she prepared herself.

“Billy Cranston agreed to tutor me!” He announced happily.

“That’s,” She let out a sigh of relief. “That’s great, Tommy. Billy is the best around here. He will help get where you need and probably beyond.”

“Gosh, I hope!” He kept smiling. “He told me he has more free time now that he finished up with you.”

Trini blinked, taken aback by that. If Billy said that to Tommy, it could only mean the other boy thought she was just slaking and she didn’t really need his help. Great. Where was Jason? Maybe she could end the day ruining her friendship with him too.

“Yeah,” She tried to sound casual. “I just need him to point me in the right direction. He needs time to tutor people who actually need it.”

Tommy gave a strange look.

“Sorry!” She apologized quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. Please, don’t think that.”

“Hey, chill,” Tommy patted her shoulder amicably. “I know what you mean. And I do need a tutor.”

“You are in good hands,” Trini smiled the best she could. “Look, Tommy, I really have to go.”

“Is everything really alright?” He asked. “You seemed… off. Sorry if I’m interfering too much.”

“No,” She shook her head. “It’s okay. Just got a lot in my head, that’s all. But I really have to go.”

Far away as possible. She thought

“Okay then!” He seemed to buy it. “Hey, I was talking to Kimberly and thinking maybe all of us could do something together, I don’t know, like a game of basketball.”

“All of us?” Of course, he was talking to Kimberly.

“Yeah!” He said excitedly. “You, me, Kim, Billy, Jason, and Zack. You are friends with all of them, right? We could all do something together. I think it would be fun.”

“Yeah,” She lied. “It would be awesome. I talk to you later about it, okay?”

“Okay!” He nodded. “Bye, Trini!”

“Bye, Tommy.” She waved as the boy walked away.

How? How did she get here? She knew, from the day she accepted Zordon’s offer that her personal life would change because of her duties as a Power Ranger. This? She had to admit to herself. She wasn’t ready for this.

\--

Trini walked down the stairs to leave school. Even with all the bad things that had happened, the desire to cry was strong but she still allowed herself a small smile. She had to look at the bright side, as her Uncle Howard would tell her when she was little. She had more power now. She felt stronger and even more prepared. Rita could throw anything at her and she would be ready. She was ready to finish this fight. Ready to go back to her normal life.

“Trini!” She heard a voice calling her name yet again but this time, it made her blood ran cold. No. It couldn’t be.

She turned around slowly to see a Japanese girl dressed in a very expensive outfit, showing a lot of gold in her dress, her accessories, and make-up, walking down the stairs with a predatory smile on her face. Her long black hair was loose and perfectly straight. She stopped in front of the Green Ranger, looking at her up and down, her smile never leaving her face.

“Surprised?” The girl asked with a sickening sweet venom in her voice.

“Wha-what-what…” Trini could barely breathe or even believe her eyes. This was a nightmare. It **had** to be one.

“I thought you were more articulate than that, Trini,” The girl kept smiling, looking straight into Trini’s eyes, with a menacing glimpse in them.

“What are you doing here?” Trini asked. Her rage was very clear in her voice. “Why do you look like that?”

The girl laughed and twirled, showing her outfit. “You don’t like it? Too much gold? Well, it is my color. Sort of like you and green.”

“How can you look like that?” Trini asked through gritted teeth. “How can you even speak English?”

The girl rolled her eyes. “Come on, Trini. It is not that hard to figure out. You know, I would have thought your boss you have told you more about me by now. Then again, Eltarians, am I right?”

“Answer me!” Trini almost yelled.

“Easy, Trini,” The other girl smirked. “You wouldn’t want to draw too much attention to our little talk, now would you?”

Trini looked around, silent.

“I am human,” The other girl explained. “At least, I used to be. Long story. Ask the old man. See if you can make him tell the story. In any case, since I am or was a human, I can assume the form of one. You know, without the armor and everything. As for the language, Mistress helped me with that. Quite simple actually. Don’t know why you humans take so long to learn other languages.”

“What are you doing here, Scorpina?” She asked.

Scorpina laughed. “You can call me Sabrina Risosa while I am here. It won’t raise too many questions you are not ready to answer.”

Sabrina Risosa?

“While you are here?” Trini asked, fearing the answer.

“Oh,” Scorpina, now Sabrina, laughed. “I didn’t tell you the **best** part! I’m the newest student at Angel Grove High!”

It took all of Trini’s strength to not pass out right there.

“Speechless?” Sabrina touched her chest and made a clearly fake touched face. “Makes my non-beating heart warm. Figuratively, of course.”

“You,” Trini shook her head. “You… can’t be here.”

“Why not?” Sabrina asked and looked at the building of Angel Grove High. “I think it will be a fun experience, don’t you think?”

Trini started to step closer to her, raising her fists. “If you do anything-”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Sabrina waved her finger negatively. “What are you going to do, Trini? Attack me? You would really break your precious Ranger Code of Honor or whatever the head in the tube calls it? Remember?”

Trini took a step back, stunned.

“As much garbage he fills your head with,” Sabrina smiled. “He is actually correct about that one. You know, not escalating a battle. You definitely do not want to break it. After all, I am not doing anything. I am just here to get an education.”

“Why do I doubt that?” Trini asked deadly serious.

Sabrina laughed. It was a sickening sound. “Alright, you got me. I am here for fun, but the psychological kind of it. I don’t plan to kill all those ants inside that school.”

Trini glimpsed at the high school and quickly returned her eyes to Sabrina.

“I plant to play with you, Trini,” She winked and licked her lips. “And you know what the best part of all of this is?”

Trini didn’t say anything.

“You,” She pointed her long fingernail with gold nail polish and touched Trini’s chest. “Cannot do anything to stop me. Unless you want to deal with the consequences, which both of us know, you simply cannot afford to do it right now.”

Trini couldn’t move her body. Nothing was responding.

Sabrina smiled her vicious smile again. “Well, I have to go now. Business to attend with my dear Mistress. You know how much of an impatient woman she can be. I guess I will see around quite a lot, **classmate**.”

She blew her a kiss and walked away with superiority, even flipping her hair back as she moved out of sight.

Trini simply could not believe what just had happened. All she could do was watch helplessly as Scorpina, or now, Sabrina disappeared. She felt like some had been sucker-punched extremely hard. The worst thing was that everything she said was right.

What was she supposed to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone liked the chapter!
> 
> A few things: Yes, I am aware Saigon is not officially called that anymore but from what I researched, some Vietnamese people still refer to the city as such. 
> 
> The gang that is part of Trini's past, as some of you may have noticed, are the Dark Rangers from Season 2 of Mighty Morphin' that Zedd chose. You know, the ones who had those horrible costumes when they morphed? Anyway, their names come from the Power Rangers wiki. I simply spelled Justin as Jostin to differentiate him from one of my favorite Blue Rangers.
> 
> For anyone wondering about Scorpina's/Sabrina's fake last name, Risosa, it's actually the word sasori spelled backward. It's scorpion in Japanese.
> 
> I really want to know what you guys think of Zack's reaction at the end of the chapter. Was he right? Was he overreacting?
> 
> Once again, thanks everyone for reading and hopefully, see you very soon with a new chapter!


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